Book of Black Pride
by Zero Unit RGB
Summary: Hasani is still at large and there are many questions still left unanswered. Simba and his pride may have to face the biggest threat to the Great Kingdoms since his father's time...The Third Pride War. But for once it is the Great Kingdoms versus the Peace Seekers. This war may decide the fate of their world. Sequel to Story of the Stars.
1. Prologue: New Age

**I've pulled several all nighters until everything was set to perfection. I'd seriously appreciate some feedback on this third book. And don't tell me that I shouldn't worry about it! It took me three months to do Tale of Two Kings but six months to do Story of the Stars. I put twice as much time and thought and work into it! That's why I feel so bad! *Takes a deep breath* I'm good now…**

-X-

_Tau, the huge, almost completely black furred lion walked with his head held high as he entered the court. There were at least thirty pairs of eyes glaring daggers at him as he bowed his head down to the king of their pride._

_Tau wasn't afraid of his fate even though he knew he was innocent, his only hope was that they would not punish the cub. Even if it was that cub that got him into this situation in the first place, he was a newborn._

_"Raise your head, Tau!" boomed the king._

_The younger lion did so and when he stood at his full height, the king swung his paw and smacked the large lion across the face. Tau had to hold back an angry growl lest he wanted to be executed on the spot. He had a few things to get out first before they did away with him._

_"I see you haven't lost that massive strength to old age yet" Tau forced out with a smirk. He wasn't going to let this pride get the better of him._

_The king snarled at him but held his rage back as much as he could; knowing that it would be unsightly for the king. Instead he slowly walked his way around the younger lion making sure to give him the idea that there was no escape. "I gave you the honor of marrying my daughter because you told me that you came from a line of pure black fur. But you and your family lied to me and this is the proof!" the king snapped._

_This was a cue for a rather large lion to exit the den behind the king with a golden furred male cub in his mouth. The cub's eyes were squeezed shut which implied that he was only born not too long ago, a week ago most likely._

_"…And how do you know that the cub's fur doesn't come from _your_ lineage?" Tau asked smartly. "Furthermore, how do you even know that he's even _my_ cub?"_

_There were a lot of murmurs coming from their audience but they weren't saying that the defendant had a point; rather, they were shocked he would even say such a thing. It was one thing to lie about yourself to marry into the royal family and become king, but it was an even greater crime to accuse a member of the royal family of unfaithfulness._

_"You dare accuse my daughter of disloyalty?!" snarled the king. Tau backed away from the king's sharp and dangerous looking fangs._

_"She has many lovers in this pride; the cub could be any one of theirs" suggested Tau coolly. "Besides, why must this pride revere dark fur so much? Is there something so wrong about having light colored fur?"_

_"Everyone in the royal family has had dark fur. It has been considered tradition, a gift from the Great Spirit ever since the first prince was born with black fur" the king said. "This is why the heir must be of that color! This is why I let my daughter marry you!"_

_"…Then go ahead and kill me…I'm sure my mother and my father will understand your selfishness and prejudice…"_

_The king laughed darkly as if the defendant had just said the funniest thing ever. "I wouldn't know that, maybe you should ask them yourself when you see them after your execution."_

_Tau's eyes widened as these words sunk in. "You…you murdered my family!" he snarled. He completely forgot about holding back any of his anger and was now growling ferociously._

_"Getting a little mad now, aren't we?" chuckled the king. "I did that after my daughter told me that you were the one being unfaithful. You accuse her when you had a lover yourself? Despicable…Speaking of which, you won't be seeing that lover of yours either."_

_"You killed Kumi too?!"_

_"Was that her name? Well, I guess there's one member of your family left now. I guess it is appropriate, the cub didn't exist days ago and now his existence will end right before your eyes. Kill the cub!" the king shouted. _

_The large male that had brought the cub out laid him down in front of his paws and raised one of them up to bring it down and end his short life._

_"No!" roared Tau, he barreled into the king, pushing him out of the way. He then head butted the large male lion and picked up the cub by the scruff of his neck. He turned around, prepared to run for the cub's life when he remembered that he was surrounded._

_All of the lions growled as they slowly approached the defenseless lion. He looked for a way to escape when he noticed a single lioness gesturing for him to run past her. She was at the end of the semi-circle of lions, which meant that there was no one on her right._

_Tau gave her an almost imperceptible nod and shot off. "After him!" ordered the king after he had recovered._

_The rest of the pride gave chase to the fleeing lion but only the lioness that had assisted him went in another direction. She knew where to find him and knew that she wouldn't be followed. She stopped in front of a fallen tree that blocked the entrance to a clearing in the jungle. "Tau?" she whispered just in case._

_"Imara?" Tau replied. His popped up from behind the log and he glared at her. "That was an incredibly risky move, what if you get punished when you return because somebody saw you? I can't bear the thought of losing someone else."_

_Imara rolled her eyes. "Calm down, we've been friends since we were cubs of course I'd risk my life for you. And I know that no one followed me. Listen, there's not much time, I'm going to pretend I never saw you so the king will think that we lost you. But you need to get to someplace safe, follow the rising sun and you'll soon reach the Eastern Kingdom. King Simba will keep you safe for a while."_

_Tau nodded as he picked up the cub but then he stopped and looked back at the lioness. "Come with me. You can't stay here, not while that tyrant of a king is ruling. We can start a new life somewhere else…"_

_She shook her head with a sad smile. "Thanks for the offer but my family needs me here. We'll always have our memories of each other and I'll find a way to visit you someday. But you need to go; you don't have a second to waste."_

_"Just…Please stay safe…Okay?"_

_"No problem…And hey, I'm sorry about your family. I didn't know that they had been killed until the news spread this morning. And as for Kumi…I tried to protect her but I failed…" sniffed Imara. _

_"It's fine, everything will be just fine."_

_" But what about the cub? He's not yours but…"_

_"He's not mine but you know I have a soft spot for cubs. I can't leave him back there to be killed and he needs a father figure. I'll watch over him until he's old enough to be on his own…Goodbye Imara, I hope to see you again someday" said Tau softly as he gave her a friendly nuzzle._

_"You will…Now go."_

_Tau gave one final nod before picking up the cub again and running off. Imara sighed softly and walked wiped away her tears before going back to fake searching for her friend. It was hard to lose two friends in an instant but she hoped to at least see one of them again someday._

-X-

Kula stared at her reflection in the clear pond in the thick jungle. Ever since she decided to stay in the Western Kingdom, she had been having a ton of difficulty adjusting. She found this place to be a safe haven for her to be alone with her thoughts although one lion seemed to have found his way to her hiding spot.

"I thought I'd find you here" Chaka said quietly as he approached the lone lioness.

Kula turned around on the rock and then rolled over so that she was lying on her back. Her head was thrown back so that she could look at him…upside down. "You'd think a lioness could get some privacy in a kingdom as large as this one."

He chuckled lightly to himself as he seated himself next to her. "Well, too bad, I'm here to bug you and that's that." She scoffed a bit obnoxiously but he knew that she didn't mean it. "So what are you doing here anyway? You've been in this pride for at least five months and you still haven't gotten used to it?"

She shook her head. "I'm used to the pride; I'm just not used to the freely roaming hyenas and the scent of the ocean. And I guess…I'm kind of disappointed…"

"Disappointed? About what?"

"…I stayed in this pride…hoping to get the attention of somebody…Now don't you dare say anything! I don't love this particular somebody but…I don't know…I was expecting something more to come out of our relationship."

Chaka stared at her as she remained silent with her thoughts. He sighed as he pondered about what he should say next when he saw her turn over and stare at her reflection once more.

"Maybe…Maybe this particular somebody has a lot on his mind and he's scared of what might happen. Maybe he's never experienced anything like this and…He can't find the right words to express how he feels. He's afraid that if he chooses the wrong words…They'll be apart forever…" he told her without making eye contact.

The two felines stared at their reflections wondering on what the next thing to be said should be. "Well…Does he want that to be…it? Nothing but what they already have?" she asked, sounding a bit scared of what the answer might be.

"…No…He doesn't…"

"Then I guess…either I or he has to take that first step."

"I suppose so…"

They both glanced at each other before finally gaining the courage to look each other in the eyes. Kula wondered how any lion, scratch that, any creature in the entire world could possibly do this sort of thing without freaking out.

"…Chaka…" Kula started. "When I decided to stay here instead of going back to the Pride Lands, it was originally because I figured that there was no way my brother would return there. So instead, I wanted to stay here because…" she faltered a bit but was able to pick it up. "…I had some mixed feelings that I wanted to sort out."

Chaka took a deep breath before delivering his reply. "Well…Have you sorted them out yet?"

"I…I think so…"

"Well…I felt happy when you told me that you were going to be staying here and I honestly didn't know why at first. But as time went by…I figured it out…I think…"

"I love you" they both said simultaneously.

They stared at each other for a long time before Chaka wrapped an arm around her and pulled the lioness towards him. She pressed her face into his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat and felt his warm and fluffy mane.

"I wish I had told you this sooner…I really do love you" Chaka whispered into her ear. "I never felt this way about anybody before…"

Kula laughed a little although it came out a little muffled. "You don't need to be all mushy…But you should know that I've never loved anyone like I do with you. There's just so much that had happened over the past few months and…I was confused. But not anymore…I want to spend the rest of my life with you…"

"Well, look who's being mushy now…But…Kula…Would you like to be my mate?"

"Did you not here my mushy little speech? Of course I will..."

-X-

Thimba rubbed his eyes in a failed attempt to get rid of the tiredness he felt. He had been up all night making sure that Hasani didn't work himself to death. The older lion was constantly checking up on different units and ordering around subordinates that he had completely forgotten to take care of himself.

It was getting closer to the day everything would change so Thimba could understand his superior's stress but that didn't mean he had the right to worry the younger lion every second of the day.

"You know he doesn't need you breathing down his neck all the time, right?" an obnoxiously familiar voice snickered.

"Leave me alone Jet, you know it was better when you acted seriously, your true colors are very unsightly" Thimba scoffed, brushing off the cheetah.

The cheetah ran around the lion to cut him off from entering Hasani's den. "Look kid, I'm just worried about you. The way you just cling on to the boss; now _that's_ unsightly. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were his lovesick mate. Listen, we're all expendable to him despite what he says, it's true that he wants equality, I don't doubt that, but why does he call all the shots, hm?"

"Because they're his dreams" Thimba retorted as he pushed Jet out of the way. "When all of this is over and we claim victory, that's when all creatures can do whatever they like as much as they please. Just wait for your turn and don't mess with me!"

"Cranky today aren't we? Fine, whatever."

Thimba entered the den and saw Hasani sprawled out on the floor. His superior had clearly caught a fever and tried to do something productive but only ended up passing out on the floor. Thimba sighed as he helped the older male up and the placed him down in a more suitable position.

"Hasani…I think we need to postpone the Phase One of our plan" Thimba sighed.

Somehow, Hasani had heard this and his eyes shot open. He attempted to sit up but only failed and fell into an immobile heap. "We can't wait any longer, we have everything we need and I'm not physically needed for Phase One."

"But there's no telling when it will be completed and you need to be well by the time it _is_ finished so that we can commence Phase Two. We need you as our leader Hasani, not as a liability, so listen to me and rest."

"But I…I can't do that! I can't just lie here while the world is in chaos!"

"The world's survived so far; a few more days can't hurt. Listen to me, you've taken care of me ever since I joined you but you've never given me the chance to pay you back. Now it's my turn to take care of you."

Hasani nodded as he rested himself back into his comfortable position. But as he was left in silence for a while he had to ask. "Have you forgotten yet, Thimba?"

The younger lion looked up, he appeared to be genuinely confused. "About what?"

"I once asked you if you had any regrets about leaving your pride…You told me that you didn't really have any but I told you that I knew more about you than you wanted me to" Hasani said quietly, but it was still enough for his companion to hear. "One of your regrets was that you were in love with someone back in your pride. I was wondering if you had forgotten that someone."

Thimba's expression darkened as he thought about what his superior was saying. "No…I haven't and I won't ever forget but…I know I can move on. I'm over it, believe me, right now what's important is what you want, not what I wanted."

"…Thank you Thimba, you are a true friend."

-X-

_"It's so strange we just saw each other nearly a week ago and here we are meeting again" chuckled Malka as he gave King Simba a friendly hug._

_"I'm glad to see you to. Actually, I had a message for Kula and Tama so I was wondering if you could deliver it to them for me" Simba told him._

_They were all together along with King Kanu of the Northern Kingdom and they had just seen Mheetu's coronation. They had been invited to a feast as well later that night to celebrate the crowning of the new king._

_"Hello, you must Nala, Mheetu's sister" smiled an unfamiliar lioness as she approached the queen of the Pride Lands. "It's an honor to meet you, I happen to be Mheetu's mate, Hatia."_

_"Oh, yes, I'm happy to meet you too" said Nala, returning the new queen's pleasant smile. "I'm sorry if I'm being a bit informal but I'm still a bit shocked. For years my brother hadn't returned home and search parties always came up empty so we just assumed the worst. I never would've imagined I would get to see him again and as a king of one of the Great Kingdoms no less!"_

_Hatia smiled to show that she understood how her sister-in-law felt. "I can take you to Mheetu if you want. Actually, I'm supposed to escort the rulers of the Great Kingdoms' to him anyway. But before that, Nala, I want you to meet my daughter, Ashanti."_

_A small cub who looked as if she was born about a month ago or so toddled over to the two lionesses. She looked almost exactly like her tawny colored mother except she had bright blue eyes instead of dark brown._

_"Hello!" the cub piped up._

_"Your daughter? So does that mean…?" started Nala._

_Hatia shook her head to show that her sister-in-law was wrong. "Ashanti isn't Mheetu's cub. I was impregnated by a rogue and then found my way here where I met Mheetu. We fell in love and I had Ashanti but she isn't related to Mheetu or you."_

_"I see, well it's a pleasure to meet you Ashanti."_

_"Anyway, if all of you could just follow me."_

_Hatia picked up Ashanti by the scruff of her neck and led the other rulers into a den that was lit by several torches and a naturally elevated platform in the center of the cave. There were all sorts of food lying on the elevated platform along with leaf bowls containing water. _

_"Quite the banquet hall" Malka commented._

_When each and every one of them had been seated, Mheetu and the leader of the high council both came in from a different entrance. There was a pleasant stamping of paws to show applause and express congratulations._

_"It is a true honor to stand before you all as the new king of the Southern Kingdom" smiled Mheetu. "But this is even more important than that. This is also the night…I am reunited with my dear sister who I never stopped thinking about since my exile." _

_"It is so good to see you again Mheetu" sniffed Nala as he brother approached her and gave her a hug. "I've missed you so much…"_

_"You say that as if I didn't" Mheetu chuckled. "Hey don't cry sis, this is supposed to be a happy moment."_

_"I know…" she smiled as she rubbed the tears out of her eyes. "These are tears of joy not sadness, it wasn't too long ago when I found out my dead son was alive and now I'm seeing you…Someone I thought I had lost years ago."_

_"I heard about that."_

_"The last time I saw you, was when you were a newborn cub. It's been too long Mheetu" Simba greeted. "And now you're the new king of the Southern Kingdom, life sure is full of surprises."_

_"Well I'm afraid I don't remember you much Simba but thank you for liberating the Pride Lands of Scar's tyrannical rule" Mheetu bowed to him. "And that reminds me, there is one lion here who you may recognize."_

_The leader of the high council stepped forward and smiled towards the Eastern Kingdom king. "Hello Simba."_

_"Tojo?" breathed Simba. "I can't believe it! It's really you Tojo!" _

_Simba and Tojo gave each other a friendly hug as they laughed together. "It's been years and you too Nala, it's been far too long."_

_"Tojo took care of me after Scar had banished me" Mheetu explained._

_"Then I owe you my eternal gratitude Tojo" smiled Nala._

_The feast went on with smiles and pleasantries until somewhere near the end. King Kanu of the Northern Kingdom cleared his throat to bring all their attention to him. "Like Mheetu had said in the beginning of this feast, this is a joyous occasion. However, I have news that may not sound all too pleasant. I'm afraid Hasani is still at large and I cannot control him, who knows what he may do."_

_"I see, I guess that cannot be helped" Simba sighed._

_"Hasani…Was he the lion that had messed with the hyenas and caused them to turn against my pride?" asked Malka._

_"I'm afraid so" nodded Simba._

_"Who is this Hasani?" asked Mheetu._

_"He's an incredibly dangerous rogue who caused major problems in the Eastern and Western Kingdom" Kanu explained. "He was once a part of my kingdom and I am ashamed to say that it is partially my fault for his actions. I'm afraid that I have influenced him into thinking that a world where all animals can live peacefully and equally is possible."_

_"It is not your fault" Nala interjected._

_Malka nodded in agreement. "And even though you say it is not possible, I think it may be. It may not be perfect but we can at least all get along instead of living in constant fear and distrust with each other. After all, that's what has happened with the hyenas and lions in my kingdom."_

_"Aside from that, I think we should form a strong alliance with each other since we're all good friends" said Simba. "If we do that, we'll be able to stay prepared and hopefully none of us will fall to his clutches." _

_"Right, so we just keep each other notified of any suspicious activity, correct?" inquired Mheetu._

_"Exactly, we cannot let him get the better of us."_

_After all the rulers had agreed on this, Tojo stood up to make sure that all their attention was turned on him. "For the health and safety of our kingdoms, we pay our respects to the kings above and the Great Spirit" he said._

_"To the Great Kings and Queens of the past and to a happy future!" they all said together._

-X-

**Review!**


	2. Cub Stories

**I sure hope all of you ignored what I wrote in the beginning of the prologue…Welcome to the very first chapter of Book of Black Pride. I hope you're all ready for what I'm about to drop on all of you. Here's the first chapter and I hope you all like it or at least have some sort of opinion for it.**

-X-

Kito huffed and puffed as he ran to the thick tree, he looked all around himself to make sure that he was alone. After that he shut his eyes, faced the tree, and then began counting from one to twenty. "…eighteen…nineteen… and twenty! Ready or not, here I come!" he called when he had finished.

Kito began looking around through bushes, behind tall trees, and right when he was about to give up, he a rustling noise caught his attention. He crouched down and began slinking slowly, and mostly silently towards the shaking shrubs to his right.

"Amali, not so loud, he'll find us!"

"What are you talking about? You're the one who's shouting!"

"And what's your excuse?"

Kito pounced over the shrubs and landed on top of two other cubs, one was male and the other was female. "Found you!" Kito cheered. All three of them ended up laughing together as the eldest of the cubs rolled off of them.

"You two are really bad at this game" Kito laughed.

"Well Amali decided that it would be a better idea to hide together but she couldn't stop laughing" Neo shot back defensively. "If it were up to just me then I would've found a much better hiding spot. No one's better at stealth than I am!"

"Yeah right" scoffed Amali. "You were totally lost and you couldn't even find a good hiding spot. And besides, _you_ were the one who blew our cover!"

"Whatever."

Kito stopped his laughter long enough to look around and notice that one of them was still missing. "Hm…I guess Kioni's still out there then. I wonder where she hid…" muttered Kito. "Want to go help me find her?"

"I thought Kioni didn't want to play hide-and-seek today" Neo said.

"She always says that but she ends up playing with us anyway" giggled Amali.

"I don't know why she has to be so stubborn" shrugged Kito.

"I think it runs in your family" Amali chimed.

The three of them split up and began to look around for the princess. Wherever she was, she was definitely not nearby since Kito couldn't find her within a five foot radius. "I think I've got her scent" Neo called.

Kito came over to his cousin and began sniffing around until he caught wind of his sister's scent as well. "Yeah, I think I got it too!"

"Are two stupid?" asked Amali.

"What?"

"Her tracks are right there in front of you."

"Oh…"

Kito ran ahead of them as he followed his sister's tracks, he was almost completely sure that they were heading towards the water hole. As he got closer to his destination, he saw a female cub taking a sip from the water hole.

"I found you!" he shouted, catching the attention of all the animals there getting a drink.

Kioni heard as well and she turned her head to see her brother running at full speed towards her. "Uh-oh" she muttered to herself as she took off. She ran around the water hole but then tripped and rolled down the incline.

"Kioni!" Kito shouted with concern when he saw his sister vanish.

Kioni tumbled down the hill until she crashed into another furry body. They both fell into a small and moaning heap. "Ow…That hurt…" she moaned as she stood back up. She noticed that she had fallen on top of another cub although he didn't look like he was from the Pride Lands.

The unfamiliar cub stood up and shook off the dust in his fur. He glared at Kioni angrily as he spat irately in her face. "Why don't you watch where you're heading?"

"I-I'm sorry, I accidentally tripped and rolled down that hill. I didn't mean to crash into you like that, you're not hurt are you?" she asked. She wasn't afraid of a stranger although she knew that she should be, she just knew that he wasn't a bad cub. "You look like you were up all night, are you okay?"

"I'm not hurt and I'm just fine" he finally sighed. "…I'm a rogue so I have to keep moving and last night I was being chased by some really angry black leopards. My dad and I ended up here after a couple hours of running and by the time we got here, it was already morning."

Kioni was just about to ask about him and his father when Kito came running down the hill with Neo and Amali right behind him. The rogue cub took a couple steps back when the prince approached him cautiously.

"Who are you?" asked Kito. "I don't think I've seen you around here before."

"He's a rogue but he's not a bad guy or anything like that" Kioni answered for him.

"What's your name?" asked Amali.

"My name is Kianu. I'm sorry if I caused you guys any trouble…" he replied after relaxing himself. "My father should be back any time now and when he does come back, well, we're either going to be staying here for a while or leaving."

"You want to join our pride?" inquired Neo.

"That's what my father said."

"What are you cubs doing here?" asked a friendly voice very familiar with the four cub friends.

"Grandpa!" Kioni smiled as she jumped towards him happily. "It's great that we bumped into you, this is a rogue we just met."

Simba chuckled light heartedly as he nuzzled the top of his granddaughter's head affectionately. "Yes, I can see that. Actually that's what I came here about, I just met with his father and we came here to pick him up…Tau?"

A huge and quite muscular lion came up from behind Simba and walked over to Kianu. His size didn't unnerve the cubs as much as his dark fur coloring did. It was darker than Kovu's. "Dad, so does that mean we're going to be staying here?" asked Kianu curiously.

"It appears so" smiled Tau. He looked back at the king of the Eastern Kingdom. "Thank you again King Simba for what you're doing for me and my son. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you for this."

Simba shook his head. "There's no need. Seeing that you two are placed into an appropriate home will be just fine with me."

"They're going to be living here?" inquired Kito.

"Unless they can find some other place to live."

Simba asked a lioness that was with him to escort Tau and Kianu back to Pride Rock where they would be shown where to stay. After that, they should be left to their own devices but only after the rest of the pride was notified that there were going to rogues living with them.

After the rogues were out of their line of view, the king turned to the cubs. "Hey, can I talk to you guys just for a little bit?" he asked gently.

The four cubs glanced at each other as they approached the adult lion with open ears. "What is it grandpa?" asked Kito.

"Be nice to Kianu and if you can, try to hang out with him" Simba told them. "I know he may seem strange to you and possibly dangerous by he's probably just lonely. It's not healthy for a lion to be a rogue at his age."

"Why not?" asked Kioni.

"Rogues don't get the chance to play or relax as often as we do. They spend almost all their time hunting, avoiding danger, or looking for shelter from the harsh conditions of nature. It's especially hard on a cub since they don't have anyone their age they can hang around with, they become isolated and a truly dangerous rogue when they grow up."

"Now I feel sorry for rogues…" muttered Amali.

"Yeah, they only become the bad kinds because they were kicked out of their old homes" added Neo.

"But they must've done something bad to get themselves exiled in the first place, right?" pointed out Kito. "What exactly did they do?"

"Tau gave me a rough depiction of his story but I'm going to be hearing all of it along with your parents tonight. Be sure to be back before sunset, okay?" Simba finished. He stood back up before a realization suddenly hit him. "Wait…Where's your babysitter?"

The cubs stared back at Simba uncomprehendingly for about a minute or two before racing off in another direction. "We're innocent! We've done nothing wrong!" Kito shouted back as his parting words.

Simba chuckled as he shook his head. He didn't want to rob them of their freedom and he knew that a babysitter was a nuisance from his experience as well as Kiara's. He just hoped that they would stay safe together. "Just don't go too far!"

-X-

"_Tala! Tala, where are you?!" Jelani called out loudly. His mate had missing for hours now and he was getting excessively worried. He also wanted to prove that lioness wrong about his mate, there was no way Tala would've kidnapped a cub!_

"_Have you found her yet?" asked Chaka. He, like everyone else in the pride was searching for Tala as well. She was accused of stealing a cub and claiming him as her own. If that didn't sound crazy then everything must sound normal._

"_Nope, I don't even have a clue as to where she might be" sighed Jelani. He looked back at his best friend worriedly. "What if I never find her? What if I've lost her? I know she's upset over the loss of our cub but…I can't believe this is happening!"_

"_Calm down" Chaka said softly and soothingly. "She can't have gotten far. Let's take a look around the borders and maybe Simba and Tamina saw her. They're still around, right?"_

"_Yeah, I think they're at the southern border."_

"_Well, let's go."_

_Kopa watched as Tamina swung from vine to vine, bragging every few seconds how she was capable of doing this and lions were not. "Okay, I get, you can grab things with your paws and I can't. Now get down here before you get hurt" Kopa demanded._

"_Yeesh, was that how I sounded like when you were a cub doing dangerous things?" asked Tamina with a light laughing undertone. "I must've been a seriously awful nag. Good thing you…Hey, did you hear that?"_

"_Hear what?"_

"_That voice…I could be wrong but it kind of sounded like Tala." Tamina looked around before leaping down from her tree and landing into Kopa's soft mane. She popped her head out of it and pointed her finger to her right. "I think she's over there!"_

_Kopa started walking in the direction Tamina was pointing towards until he heard the voice himself. That was when he followed it without having her point straight ahead. "Why is Tala out here when she should be resting? According to Kamaria, she's still traumatized by the whole cub event and she needs her rest" muttered Kopa as he quickened his pace. _

"_How am I supposed to know?" shrugged Tamina. _

"_There's no way Jelani would've let her out in her condition."_

"_I know that!"_

_They stopped when Chaka and Jelani burst from the foliage and cut them off. They were surprised as much as the prince and his best friend were to bump into each other. "There you two are!" exhaled Jelani._

"_I'm guessing you guys are going this way because you could hear her too" Chaka guessed._

"_Yeah, what is happening and why do I feel like I should be overly worried about it?" asked Tamina._

"_Just follow Tala's voice" Jelani instructed. "We'll explain when we find her."_

_The four of them ran until they could make out some of the words Tala was saying. But what really caught their attention was when they heard a cub's voice whine out loudly as if he was calling for help._

"_That sounded like Johari!" Tamina realized. "What's a four month old cub doing in a place like this?"_

_Kopa didn't ask the same question, instead he noticed how dark and scared Jelani's expression became, almost as if his deepest fears had come true. "Jelani…Please tell me that Tala didn't do what I think she did!" Kopa shouted at the prince._

"…_I wish…"_

_They stopped when they reached Floral Meadow, in other words, the most beautiful place in the Western Kingdom. It was a clearing within the jungle just covered in grass and gorgeous flowers, it was also the place Jelani and Tala had fallen in love. _

_They saw a tawny furred cub desperately trying to flee from a beautiful young lioness. Her fur was golden like the sun and glistened in the morning light. But her eyes said another story; they were dead, like nothing was left there. The once beautiful ocean blue was nothing but a vast an empty desert. Her smile was completely hollow but it didn't disappear from her face, instead, it looked as if she thought it was a game between her and the cub. The cub would try to flee and the lioness would just cut him off._

"_What's wrong darling? Don't you love your mommy?" she chuckled. It wasn't motherly or warm; it was empty and cold, like she was speaking to something dead. "You've caused your mother enough worry, now it's time to stay by my side forever."_

_The cub whimpered, the poor thing was frightened to death as he tried another escape route but failed again. "P-Please let me go. I-I…I didn't do anything wrong! I just want to go home to my mommy" he whined._

"_But you are with your mommy. Just come to mama now."_

"_What in the world is she doing?" gasped Tamina._

_The broken lioness and the cub turned at the sound of the meerkat's voice. The cub immediately raced past the princess and hid behind Chaka. He grabbed onto the adult lion's leg as if he was afraid he would disappear._

"_Kopa…You and Tamina get my father and bring him to this place" Jelani said emotionlessly. Tamina was just about to protest and say something rude to the princess when Kopa turned tail and ran back to the pride._

_Tala bounded up to her mate with the same broken smile. It was clear that she had no idea what reality was anymore, it was just her own sick fantasy that she wanted to live in. "Great news Jelani! I found our missing cub; he was in the clutches of some horrid lioness. We can finally rest in peace knowing that our son is safely in our arms once more" she smiled._

_Chaka pushed Johari farther away from the insane lioness as Jelani stared at his mate as he was looking at a dangerous rogue. "Tala…Please…Please tell me that this is some sort of joke because of it is, it isn't funny" he breathed unevenly. He knew that if he panicked he would only lose consciousness._

_Tala cocked her head to one side and genuinely looked confused but the same broken smile was stuck to her face. "What are you talking about dear? This is no joke. We can be a happy family once more" she merely laughed hollowly._

_Jelani felt like the entire world was spinning but knew that it was only his head. He just knew what was up and down. His breathing speeded up and he couldn't seem to hear correctly as he tried to put on a smile and a nervous laugh. "Tala, please, please tell me you're kidding. You can't be serious about this."_

"_Jelani, you're scaring me…"_

_Jelani smile vanished as he tried to keep grasp of reality. Chaka saw that the prince was falling through the barrier that kept him with everything real and truth. So he did what he thought was reasonable, Chaka brought his paw up and brought it down onto the prince's head, knocking him out cold. Right before Tala could scold Chaka, he did the same to her._

"_Mister Chaka…Why did you do that to the prince?" asked Johari._

_Chaka shook his head and didn't respond as he turned around and saw King Malka and Kopa running towards them. "Chaka, Jelani, Kopa's told me what's going…" the king froze when he saw the scene in front of him. "Oh no…"_

"_My baby!" cried out a lioness as the cub ran over to her and returned her warm embrace. "Oh thank goodness you're okay."_

"_Chaka…Tell me what happened" Malka ordered his son's best friend._

_Chaka looked down at the still but breathing body of the prince. "He will never admit it but Tala would've never let Johari leave. She would've killed him…King Malka…Before Jelani wakes up and before he stops you, you must banish Tala, she will only endanger our pride and she will do anything to bring her dead cub back."_

"_Yes…I know…"_

Jelani gave another heavy sigh, this one deeper than the others, as he found himself in the very place of the bad memories, Floral Meadow. To make things worse, he knew that this was supposed to be the place of his sweetest memories, but they had been tainted by the broken lioness that one stood in that spot.

He felt the breeze flow through his lush mane as he wondered where she was now. He felt a single tear slide down his cheek and watched it drop onto the petal of Tala's favorite flower. It was a muted blue with several golden pistils but what really made them unique were the waves it formed.

"I wish you'd come back to me…" he whispered.

Jelani walked through the green grass as he peacefully reminisced on his own until he noticed that he wasn't alone. He noticed the sleeping form of a beautiful lioness, for a moment he almost thought he was thrown back in time but he felt new tears forming as he realized that it wasn't possible.

The lioness's eyes fluttered open at the same time his teardrop fell next to her. It was as if she had heard that single tear fall. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes as she looked up at the prince.

"Prince Jelani! I'm sorry, I thought this was a private area that no one knew about" she stuttered but stopped when she saw that he was crying.

"Its fine…" he sniffed. "This place is open to the general public so no need to worry about a thing."

"Are you okay? You're crying…"

"I was just thinking about some bad memories." Jelani wiped away the last of his tears and looked away feeling a little embarrassed for letting a lioness see him this way. "We've never really talked before have we? Even though we've been part of the same pride for months…"

"Well, I've been sort of avoiding you…Sorry…" Tama admitted nervously. "Kopa told me about your mate…He said that she looked a lot like me and well…I was afraid that every time you saw me you would feel hurt. I know I wouldn't feel too good if I saw someone who looked like a lost love of mine."

"I understand…"

"So…You weren't crying because of I reminded you of Tala did I? And please tell me that me saying her name doesn't affect you in some terribly negative way because I could never live with myself if I knew that I was the cause of your sadness."

Jelani released a small laugh in response to her speedy explanation. "It's cool, I was thinking about Tala but…It wasn't because of you. I was thinking about her because it's been exactly one year since I last saw her."

"Oh…"

"I was reliving those memories…"

"Well, if it's not too much to ask, what exactly happened?"

Jelani looked at his former mate's look alike and decided that maybe talking about it might make him feel better. So he started from the beginning, when an extremely worried and angry mother entered his den and told him that her son had been kidnapped by the princess. He went on from him and Chaka searching for her all over and then bumping into Kopa and Tamina. From coming to Floral Meadow and finding that horrible sight.

Jelani shuddered as he described the look on Tala's face when she was talking to him as if their son was still alive. It still disturbed him and haunted him in his nightmares yet he could never forget her face. "What made things worse was that the last thing I saw of her was that broken smile…"

Tala never imagined a lioness going crazy and then kidnapping an innocent cub after the death of her own cub. "I'm sorry about that…But you know, she wouldn't have wanted you to wallow in self pity or depression, she would want you to live for yourself and your son."

"The Tala I had fallen in love with would've" he sighed. "I had a dream the night after she had been banished. She was yelling at me and blaming me for not saving her, for not protecting. She kept saying things like I was weak and I was unable to be there for her or our cub…That I couldn't stop my father from exiling her."

Tama couldn't believe what she did next but she was sure that hanging out Kula had made her react the way she did. She ended up slapping the prince across the face. "I am so sorry! But…You shouldn't let a dream tell you how you should feel. You should be happy with your life now, don't let it tear you to shreds. Someday you'll find a new love and then you'll find happiness like never before."

"But…It would feel like betraying Tala because she may be alive somewhere out there."

"You can take all the time you want until you get over this, the point is, you're going to have to at some point…"

He finally smiled for the first time that day. "Thank you Tama, I think you've really helped me."

Tama blushed underneath her fur as she turned away from him. "Uh sure, although I'm surprised that you couldn't talk to Chaka, your father, or even Sauda about this. They would've given you the same advice."

"I never told them how I actually felt after the event" Jelani chuckled softly. "You're the first one I've ever told this to. Thank you for listening."

"…That's another issue with you! Communication! If you don't talk about your problems then you'll get nowhere! We're here to help, not to hurt. After all what are pride-mates for?"

"You're a lot more like your friend Kula than you think, you know that?"

"What's that supposed to mean?

Tama suddenly felt guilty when he suddenly nuzzled her affectionately. It wasn't that she felt as if Tala was watching them or anything, she just felt as if she had just betrayed the one she loved. She closed her eyes and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"I'm sorry!" Jelani quickly apologized. "But, I'm not doing this because you remind me of Tala or anything, you know?"

"I-I know…I'm sorry Jelani" she sniffled. "I just…I just need some time alone…"

-X-

**For some reason, I'm feeling pretty good about this first chapter. I think I did really well with the playful beginning and then I just dumped the flashback on you guys didn't I? Well I really want to know what you guys thought about your first glimpse of Tala. I wanted to give the flashback this creepy vibe, hope I succeeded. I'm not sure but she might be making a reappearance so be ready. **

**Like T5Tango, I want to leave some questions for you guys. If you have not read Heart of a Lioness, then you don't deserve to be Lion King Fans. I'm just kidding of course!**

**1) Do you believe that the hyenas are truly bad beings?**

**2) What do you think of Jelani and Tama's relationship?**


	3. Live Like New

**All right! I'm feeling pretty excited about this story. I hope you're all ready to learn a little bit more about those two rogues because this chapter is not about them! Ha ha! I tricked you! Now, I'm going to be going into a little more in depth on the shamans. I like them okay. But the spotlight will be shared among a few others too. I must answer the questions from before first though!**

**1) Ahem, it's pretty obvious I don't think that hyenas are bad beings. They were treated wrongly and that's why I decided to do what had never been done before! Lions shall bow down to the hyenas! Muahahaha! Psycho Zero, over…**

**2) You'll see what I think of their relationship, no worries there…**

**Anyway, here's chapter two and I hope you all enjoy what you read and don't forget to review.**

-X-

"I still can't believe you were able to make fire using wood" said Vitani in disbelief as she watched her mate light up the private den. "Actually, I'm surprised you were even able to hold the two sticks in the first place."

"Tamina used brag about how she could pick up things with her paws and I couldn't" Kopa reminisced. "This shut her up easily."

After the cubs were put to sleep, Kopa, Vitani, Kovu, and Kiara were all told to stay in a private den to get to know Tau and hear his story. Nala was going to stay with the cubs to make sure they remain asleep and Simba was going to bring Tau to them.

"You two look cozy" Vitani commented when she saw he sister-in-law resting her head in Kovu's mane.

"It's almost the dry season and yet it's unbelievably cold" Kovu replied. "There's nothing wrong with cozy."

"I never said there was something wrong with it."

At that moment, Pumbaa walked into the den shivering from the light rain outside. He shook off some of the water and sat by the fire. "Sorry, I'm not disturbing you guys, am I? I just really needed some warmth."

"No problem" smiled Kiara. "As a matter of fact, you can stay and meet the new member to our pride."

"A rogue came today and he wants to stay here in the Pride Lands along with his son" Kopa explained.

"A rogue?" inquired Pumbaa.

"Don't worry, as soon as the two of you meet, we'll be sure to tell him that you're off limits" Kovu chuckled, knowing exactly why the warthog seemed a little anxious. "It would be bad if our shaman in training were to die."

"Whew…Thanks…"

The den became quiet when the king and a buff rogue walked in. The darker lion arched an eyebrow when he saw the red prey animal standing there although he had heard of the Pride Lands being home to a free roaming warthog.

Simba sat down next to his foster parent and Tau took another seat closer to Vitani. Everyone was surprised to see how dark Tau's fur color was in contrast to the color of his son who they had seen asleep in the den.

"It's a huge honor to be meeting with the royal family of the Eastern Kingdom" bowed Tau respectfully. "I shall be forever grateful for allowing me and my son to stay here in your pride. I know you must have a lot of questions for me."

"We're happy to have you" Kiara smiled in return.

"But you are correct; there are a few things we'd like to ask you if you don't mind" added Kovu.

"Before that though, allow me to introduce you to my family" Simba interjected. "These are my children, my son, Kopa, and my daughter, Kiara, and their mates, Kovu and Vitani. They will all be ascending to the throne after me."

"Two kings of one pride?" questioned Tau. "Well I suppose I'm not one to judge."

"How did you become a rogue Tau? Your son seems a bit young for such a harsh life" Vitani pointed out. "He looks maybe only a few weeks older than our own son."

"You're a bit quick on the interrogations" Kopa muttered with a small smile.

"Its fine" chuckled Tau before becoming serious. "Honestly…It's a rather long story. But my son and I come from the Midnight Pride, more commonly known as the Black Pride or Kingdom of the Night."

Pumbaa blinked when he heard of the name of the pride. "Rafiki told me about that pride recently. He said that King Ahadi lived with them for a time."

Simba nodded to show that he knew as well. "Yeah, my father told me that my grandfather thought of it as home until he returned to the Pride Lands."

"Returned? What does that mean?" asked Kiara.

"It's a story for another day."

Tau cleared his throat loudly so that he could bring their attention back to him. "If I may continue…" he said but without annoyance. "I guess I could start by telling all of you that Kianu is not my actual son. My mate and I never did anything of the sort honestly."

Vitani raised a curious eyebrow. "Does Kianu know this?"

"No he does not, I plan on telling him when he is older" sighed Tau. "To be perfectly honest, my mate and I never truly loved each other. We were betrothed when we reached adolescent age because I was strong and they believed I could protect her. But also because of my family's fur color, we were famous for having the darkest coloring in the pride. And as most of you know, the Midnight Pride takes great pride in dark fur."

"Yes, my father told me that as well" nodded Simba.

"Wait, you said 'we _were'_…" pointed out Kopa. "So does that mean that…?"

Tau sighed again, this time sounding a bit sad and tired. Vitani nudged her mate a little in the side for his lack of tact. "It's fine" the dark lion said. "My family was killed by the king of my former pride. This is because he found me guilty of lying about my heritage to marry his daughter and having an affair with another lioness."

"If you were guilty of that, how can you expect us to trust you?" asked Kopa. Again, receiving another painful elbow nudge from his mate.

"You were in love with another lioness but you were forced to marry the king's daughter, am I correct?" asked Simba.

"Yes" nodded Tau. "Her name was Kumi and I'm afraid she was killed as well. I was in the king's custody before my trial and during that period of time, those closest to me were gone. I only had my best friend, Imara, left; she was the one who helped me escape. She was also the one who suggested I come here."

"Then what about Kianu? If he's not your cub then why'd you take him along?" asked Kovu.

"They were going to kill him because they thought he was mine. They didn't want a trace of bloodline to be left. What makes it worse was that he was only a newborn at the time" Tau scoffed. "What I find to be the most despicable is the fact that my 'mate' didn't even try to stop them. He may not have been my cub but he was definitely the product of her and one of her many lovers."

"That sounds awful; I can't imagine anyone heartless enough to throw away the life of a newborn" gasped Kiara.

"But the distance between here and your previous pride isn't so far. It shouldn't have taken you months" Simba pointed out.

"I was reluctant to leave everything I once knew. I thought I could take care of Kianu on my own but I struggled" Tau sighed. "I finally decided to come here when a group of other rogues chased after us and led us all the way here. I finally decided that it wasn't good for Kianu to keep living like that and so…I came here."

"Well after hearing that…" started Kiara as she looked to everyone else in the cave. "I can't think of way we could let you live like a rogue a second longer."

"Agreed, we will let you stay as long as you do your part to help out in the pride just like the rest of us" smiled Simba.

There were no objections but a few questions still remained. But it was Tau who had them. "Imara said that she'd some visit as soon as things died down back at the Midnight Pride. Has anyone of that name come here?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not" Kiara told him. "But please, don't hesitate to make this place your home. You and Kianu."

"I still have one question though" Pumbaa spoke up. All eyes turned on the non-carnivore. "It's just well…Exactly…How much does Kianu know?"

"He doesn't know much" Tau admitted. "He does know the reason for our exile but he doesn't even know that he is the rightful prince. I know he deserves to know but he says he doesn't really care. But he mentioned something about becoming the strongest he can possibly be so that he can protect me and defend himself. And I think that the only thing he really knows…Is that he feels betrayed by his own pride."

The warthog found this to sound all too familiar but he couldn't recall where he had heard it from. His eyes widened as the realization had suddenly hit him. It was the same description for the next great king. And if it was Kianu, that meant that Kito wouldn't be king.

"It's reasonable to feel betrayed if you were banished just for your fur color" Vitani sighed. "And I thought Kovu and I had a rough time as cubs."

"He's dedicated most of his time to becoming stronger. He wants to prove to our former pride that it doesn't matter what his fur color is, he will become stronger than anyone who opposes him" Tau told them. "I don't want that for him. A life of vengeance isn't right for a cub his age; he needs to know what it's like to enjoy life."

"That's easy, introducing fun to others just so happens to run in our family" smiled Kiara.

"Well, for me and Kiara at least. Before our mates met us, they were just so boring" teased Kopa.

He received one more elbow to the side of his ribs. "I don't know…Hitting you seems like a lot of fun to me" Kovu chuckled.

"Thank you again" bowed Tau. "I promise that we will not do anything that will bring harm to you or your kingdom."

After they had put the fire out, Simba led the newest member of their pride to the main den. The princes and princesses were following right behind them.

"Well we know that once we take the throne you won't be in charge of negotiations or diplomacy" said Vitani in jest.

"Hey!" Kopa responded in a slightly offended manner. He then proceeded to ponder this thought before realizing that she was probably. "Okay…So I'll let you guys handle the peace treaties between our neighboring prides. Whoo! Less work for me!"

Vitani playfully pushed him to the side.

Kiara stopped just a little bit behind her brother and sister-in-law. She turned back to look at Pumbaa before he took off running. "Pumbaa, are you going back to Rafiki's now? If you don't like the rain you could stay in the den, we'll make sure to keep predators away from you."

Pumbaa shook his head as he kindly declined her offer. "No thanks, I should really be getting back to Rafiki anyway. I just remembered that there was something important I had to talk to him about. I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

The warthog ran off towards Rafiki's tree. Kiara and Kovu glanced at each other before shrugging off his seemingly unnoticeable nervous behavior.

"I sure do hope Kianu finds a life better than the one he wants to lead" Kiara mused.

Kovu chuckled lightly before nuzzling his mate affectionately. "With this pride, it'll be impossible for him not to. Believe me…I learned that first hand."

-X-

"_Why yes, it is a very nice day today" smiled Rafiki as he floated on a cloud. He was talking to a zebra that was frolicking in the fluffy white. Rafiki was on his back, relaxing to the peaceful noises of the animals around him, with one leg over the other._

_At that moment a familiar stick fell from above and hit the old shaman on the forehead. The baboon yelped and the stick fell in his lap. He picked it up and began inspecting it. "Hit by my own staff…This is a truly sad day in Rafiki history…"_

"_Who do you think hit you with it?" asked a familiar voice with a chuckle._

_Rafiki turned around and leaped up to a somewhat erect position. "Master Hondari! Is that really you?"_

_The lion nodded in response. He was standing by the deceased elephant shaman of the Western Kingdom, Kamaria. She smiled as a greeting at the sight of her old friend's face. "It's been too long old friend" she smiled._

"_Kamaria too…It's been much too long" chuckled Rafiki. "Please tell me that I am dreaming and I did not just die peacefully in my sleep only last night." Although this usually would've been spoken with a fearful tone, he said with a sort of reminiscent smile._

"_No, we are communicating to you through a dream" Kamaria laughed softly. _

_Hondari on the other hand became slightly more serious. "This isn't really the time for a pleasant reunion though. I have something rather serious to speak to you about…" _

"_This isn't about something bad going to happen in the Pride Lands is it?" asked Rafiki._

_Hondari took the stick from Rafiki's hands with his mouth and swung it to hit his former pupil on the head with it. He dropped back into the baboon's lap as he was rubbing the bump that was beginning to form on his head._

"_Actually we came to talk about you, Rafiki" said Kamaria gently._

"_So that's how that feels like" muttered Rafiki to himself before returning his attention to his predecessors. "I didn't do anything wrong did I?"_

"_I've been watching from the skies above and I hear you telling others that our destinies are set in stone" Hondari sighed._

"_You told me yourself that our story is written in the stars themselves. Our lives are foretold by the kings of the past, are they not?"_

"_Not" replied both the lion and elephant simultaneously._

"_Our histories are written but not our futures" Kamaria clarified at the sight of Rafiki's confused face,_

_Rafiki stood back up with the help of his stick. Time was finally starting to catch up on his age. "But what about the leonine prophecy? Are you telling me that it's completely false?"_

"_No, not all, parts are filled in but there are parts missing in all sorts of areas. For example, for the next king, it states who it may be but not what he shall accomplish" stated Hondari. "Furthermore, do you remember what it said about Kovu and Kopa before Kopa had come back?"_

"_Nothing; that part of the prophecy was completely blank."_

"_Exactly" smiled Kamaria. "The Great Kings cannot foretell which of those two would take the crown. So they waited to see how the problem would be resolved themselves. Kopa and Kovu shaped their own future, not the prophecy."_

"_I see…"_

"_And another thing, you know whenever disaster strikes and we shamans are unable to communicate with the spirits of the past, right?" inquired the lion._

"_Yes…"_

"_That's because we choose not to communicate. We want to see for ourselves what our successors will do. They shape their own future, not us."_

"_So Kito may still be king?"_

"_Yes; but only if he fits in with the description given in the prophecy."_

"_But you just said-."_

"_The kings have predicted who the next king of the Pride Lands will be" nodded Kamaria. "They have just foretold it; they do not know who fits the description. You just have to wait and see for yourself."_

"_But what about Taka, you predicted so many things about him and even gave up your life so that the prophecy could be fulfilled properly" argued Rafiki. He couldn't have been more confused than ever. It was like everything he ever knew was being torn to piece right before his eyes._

_Hondari grabbed the stick again and whacked his student again, only a little bit harder this time. "You really think I'd give up my life for some stupid prophecy!" the lion scolded. "I had no idea what would happen. But I was planning on winning that fight, maybe not kill him but get him to surrender. But I end up dead and he only has a couple injuries and a scarred eye. Some shaman I was, but everything turned out okay in the end."_

"_No matter what happens, the next king will fit the description given in the prophecy, it could be anyone and anything can really happen" explained Kamaria. "Now it's about time you woke up, you're pupil is waiting for you."_

_Hondari chuckled. "You have found an excellent successor Rafiki, such a kind heart and soul. A perfect fit for the Shaman of Love."_

_Rafiki looked down in slight disappointment at the thought of leaving his old friends. "I must ask you one last question though…" _

"_What is it?"_

"_Was it really me who was foretold in the prophecy? Or was it supposed to be me?"_

_Hondari smiled as he understood his doubt. He bent down and nuzzled his old student lovingly. "You are a friend to all and a truly wondrous friend to me. The prophecy foretells what kind of personality will fit with the kings the best. I found you…"_

"_But I feel as if I keep messing up…"_

"…_Mufasa has told me that he can never repay you for all the help you've given him and even Taka trusts you as a dear friend. And I know for certain that Simba thinks the same. There is no doubt in my mind…You _are _the Shaman of Friendship…"_

Rafiki slowly opened his eyes as he felt Pumbaa's hooves press down on his side, shaking him a little back and forth. The old shaman slowly stood and Pumbaa took a few steps back. "I was closer than ever…" he muttered more to himself.

"What was that?" wondered Pumbaa out loud though it was directed to his master.

"Nothing" he sighed. "Pumbaa…What is it? You're lesson was over for today, you should be resting like your old master wants to."

Pumbaa shifted uncomfortably as if he had done something horribly wrong and interrogators were trying to pry it out of him. "I'm terribly sorry but I just have something to tell you."

Rafiki placed an old hand on top of his disciple's head a rubbed it gently. He smiled to himself as he found that he was proud of his student. He knew that he had made the right choice at selecting his successor just as his master had. "No, I am sorry for being rude, please go on…"

"Um, well, it's just. A rogue and his cub joined the pride today…"

"Yes, Simba had come to me earlier informing me of this and asking if I believed it was alright. That lion…I swear he trusts my judgment too much sometimes."

"And well, I learned a little about them and…the cub, Kianu, seems to fit the description of the next Great King!"

This definitely came as a surprise to Rafiki but he smiled nonetheless. "Then there is nothing to worry about. This will mean that Kioni will be the next queen and the only concern is that Kito has ot be okay with it."

Pumbaa's ears drooped at the thought of Kito being denied his birthright. "But what if he doesn't choose to accept it?"

"This pride has been through much worse and Kioni and Kito are too close to let the crown come between them. Whatever happens, happens, let them decide the future of the Pride Lands, they are the cubs after all…"

"But what about the prophecy?"

Rafiki smiled once more as he sat back down and leaned back against his tree. He listened as raindrops hit the top of it and watched as some drops broke through and fell to the bark floor. "It's like Kovu had said, sometimes destiny was meant to be broken…"

The warthog glanced around to see if anything had changed since he had left in the afternoon earlier. "Did something happen while I was away?" he asked curiously.

Rafiki shook his head with a solemn smile. He closed his eyes softly before coming up with a decision. "Come with me" he instructed the warthog.

Pumbaa nodded and began to follow the old creature around to the other side of the tree. They stopped and Pumbaa could see two names scratched into it in the universal shaman language. The first said 'Hondari' and the second was 'Rafiki'.

"This is on the other side of the tree where the paintings of the kings are" Rafiki slowly explained. "Each new shaman inscribes their name into the bark as an oath that they will forever be loyal to the king. And then we paint a self portrait of ourselves." Rafiki showed him to the paintings of shamans.

Pumbaa automatically recognized the image of a young Rafiki. He had a pleasant smile on his face and there was a significantly lesser amount of wrinkles on his face. But the laugh lines were still around his eyes to show that smiles can go a long way.

The other painting was of a lion he had never seen before but there were certain qualities to him that reminded him of Simba. The scarlet mane and warm smile were a few of those features. But there was something else, there was this fire that danced in his eyes, Pumbaa couldn't help thinking that it was real though he knew it was just an image. "So that's Hondari…"

Rafiki nodded with a smile. "He was a very good master to me and an even better friend. He told me that engraving his name into the bark of this tree will keep his spirit alive. Even when he passed away, though part of his spirit will go to the heavens, part of it will stay here in this tree. This is why he had named it the Tree of Life. This is why it was the only thing still alive in the Pride Lands during Scar's reign."

"Because his spirit kept it alive…" concluded Pumbaa.

"Precisely, and now I want you to keep a part of your spirit here."

"What?! But I'm not a shaman; I'm only a shaman in training!"

"Upendi…I'm afraid that there is not much time left for me here…"

Pumbaa let this run through his mind, he was slightly distracted to Rafiki calling him by his birth name but then he felt tears stinging his eyes. "No…No, you can't go! There's still so much, so much I haven't learned!"

"That is what I thought too, but I know you are ready. And I won't go just yet; I will stay here for just a little longer. But it is not much…" Rafiki sighed sadly. "I've lived to see three kings take the throne, not including Scar. And now it is time for you to be the next shaman…"

"But…I'm afraid…"

"Of what?"

"Of messing up, I'm always screwing up, what if I do some major mistake and put this entire land in jeopardy?"

"Oh Pumbaa, you should not let fear stop, you need to let it drive you to become better. Don't let fear take control of your life" smiled Rafiki. He placed a warm hand on Pumbaa cheek and lifted his face up so that they could see eye to eye. "I will always be a part of you."

"I know…" Pumbaa smiled back.

"I will give you some time…" Rafiki sighed. He placed his stick down and left it right next to his student. The sharp side of it, the one used to press into the ground was enough to engrave one's name into the bark. "This staff was carved by Hondari himself…It belongs to you now."

Rafiki padded away on all fours as Pumbaa stared at the stick. He could tell that it was made from the tree itself. The warthog smiled as he lifted it up and stuck it into the bark. After he had finished carving, he looked back to admire his work.

"Upendi…" he whispered to himself.

-X-

**I hope this was a sufficient chapter. I wonder how many people are going to react to Rafiki's approaching passing. I'm noticing a pattern, first Max dies in Book One, then it was Sierra in Book Two, now it's going to be Rafiki. I am cruel…Don't forget to review and answer these questions of course.**

**1) If you were a shaman of the Pride Lands, which of these traits would fit you the best: Courage, Friendship, Love, Knowledge, Sincerity, Reliability, or Hope?**

**2) If you could meet any star in the world, who would it be and why?**


	4. I Am Your Friend

**I return! Anyhow, lately I've been addicted to several shows on television and I am just so on edge. First is Gravity Falls on Disney Channel which is about to have its season finale, I love that show because the mystery and suspense is amazing and it's just so creative with all of its hidden clues and plot points. Second is Total Drama All Stars which is set to premiere this Fall, I love that series and I was so excited when I heard it was going to return. Third, Legend of Korra is returning and I can hardly believe it! Finally is Fairy Tail which is a Japanese Anime set to return in August. Now for those questions…**

**1) I'm not very brave, I'm not the smartest, I can't even be honest with myself, I'm unreliable, and I can be very depressing at times. So I guess either Love or Friendship would fit me more. Probably Friendship because whenever there's a fight between my friends; I'm always the one who has to resolve it.**

**2) I have a love for music so if it was any star, it'd be someone in the music world. And that's between Taylor Swift and Demi Lovato. I love nearly all the songs in their newest albums, **_**Red**_** and **_**Demi **_**so yeah; I'd love to meet one of my music idols. Their songs are inspirational and they help me when I'm feeling down.**

**Now…Read and review!**

-X-

Kito tackled Neo to the ground as the two of them began to wrestle with each other. Kioni and Amali enjoyed watching the two male cubs try to one up each other. Plus, it gave them some time away from them.

The girls laughed when Kito had pinned his younger cousin with a smug grin on his face. Their laughter disappeared when Neo was able to maneuver himself to slip away from the other prince's grasp and then tackle him to the ground.

"It's like watching them try and catch a slippery fish" whispered Kioni.

"No kidding" Amali giggled.

They both stopped when they heard someone scoff irately behind them. They turned just in time to see a golden cub walk away from them with a deep scowl on his features.

"What's his deal?" Kito wondered out loud as he finally had Neo pinned under him. The younger prince was struggling to escape his grasp.

"Mom says he'd be charming if it weren't for his attitude" Kioni informed the others.

"Really?" inquired Amali as she squinted at the retreating cub. "Nope don't see it."

"That's because we're not adolescents or something" Neo explained when he had finally escaped. He was speaking in a tone very similar to Kito's whenever he was acting as if he had known everything. "Dad told me that when we reach that age, our minds start to think differently towards others and we gain interesting emotions and tendencies."

"Really…Kopa said that" grinned Afua who was watching them on his day off. He noticed that Vitani was coming over from where she had been sunbathing. "Tell me, did your father go into depth about what these 'interesting emotions and tendencies' we have?"

"Something about being with the opposite gender and wanting to cuddle really close and then performing a 'special activity'. I'm not quite sure what though" Neo stated. "He says that mom is always asking for it."

Vitani blanched when she had heard that. She took in a deep breath to keep herself from yelling in rage. She turned to Afua with the calmest expression she could muster though he could clearly see the raging flames in her eyes. "Afua…Do you know where your good friend may be?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Afua nodded with the same triumphant grin on his face. "Simba, Kovu, and our 'good friend' have split up to patrol the borders to cut the time it takes. You should find our friend near the southern border, probably relaxing under the shade of an acacia tree."

Vitani thanked him and said in her sweet motherly tone to the cubs. "You guys stay safe and have fun." She then proceeded to turn and rocketing off south with a murderous glint in her eye. "I'm going to kill you Kopa!"

"Well that was fun" laughed Afua.

"Why does she want to kill Uncle Kopa? I thought they loved each other?" asked Kioni.

"Oh they do. They just have their little arguments sometimes, and don't worry, she doesn't really mean it" their babysitter chuckled.

"But what do we do about grumpy butt?" asked Kito referring to Kianu. "I feel kind of guilty that he's all alone."

"Well…Grandpa said we should play with him. So who's going to take on for the team and hang out with him?" questioned Amali looking around.

All eyes fell on Kioni because they had already known the answer. It was pretty obvious that Kianu would only be nice to someone he had already met. Their options weren't very wide to begin with.

"I wish you the best of luck my sister" saluted Kito.

"May the spirits be with you" Amali grinned.

"If you don't come back, can I have that lucky stone of yours?" asked Neo.

"You make it sound like I'm going into battle" Kioni sighed. "But fine, I was getting tired of playing with you guys anyway. A change in venue won't hurt."

"Tell that to the legend of the picky cheetah who decided to eat antelope instead of gazelle one day and it turned out that it was poisoned" grinned Afua.

"Uncle Afua!" she chided.

"Sorry, sorry, went a little too far."

Kioni took a deep breath before going to the former rogue cub. It had already been about three days since he joined but no one has made a move to invite him in. This was mostly because he distanced himself from everyone other than his father.

"What do you want?" asked Kianu irately without even turning around.

"Wow" smiled Kioni, clearly impressed. "I can't believe you heard me. My dad is always telling me that I'm excellent in the art of stealth…Unlike mom…But you knew I was there before I even got here! Do you have super hearing or something?"

Kianu shrugged to show he couldn't care less, his scowl deepening. "Beats me, but my dad tells me that growing up as a rogue even for a few years had enhanced my skills of survival. Being able to hear one's movements and even slightest breath are all part of growing up for me."

"That's amazing" she said in awe as she sat next to him. "Grandpa tells me that living like a rogue is hard though but it at least means you have an advantage over us when it comes to fighting and stuff like that."

The male slumped down and let his chin rest on his arms as his eyes gave off the most bored expression. "Like I care, all I want to do in life is get back at the stupid king who banished me just for my color. It's an unbelievably prejudice society and I don't think its right!"

Kioni stared a bit blankly at him; feeling a bit embarrassed by his wide range of vocabulary compared to her more limited one. "Um…"

Kianu rolled his eyes but then came to terms with the fact that being a rogue also gave him the advantage in knowledge as well as it would seem. Rogues did have to grow up faster than those with a home. "It means that they're being completely unfair to those of another fur color" he explained.

"Oh…You know you don't have to be so cold toward others" the princess said to him. "Some of us actually want to give you a warm welcome but they can't because you make yourself unapproachable."

"I just don't trust others, okay? But you wouldn't understand being the pampered princess you are."

Kioni blanched as she took the blow straight through her ego. "Excuse me?! Well at least I have a heart and soul to go up to you! While you're busy wasting away your days away from the rest of society! Do you want to be alone for the rest of your life?"

Kianu glared at her and she suddenly felt as if she had crossed the line. "I don't need anyone from this pride telling me what's what! Do you think I'd prefer to just rot away on my own? No! I just choose not to be with others because no one can understand what I've been through! Except my father, so I choose to stand by him and not anyone else. Don't think you can talk about me like you know me! Because you don't! What would you know about being rejected for a stupid reason like your fur color? Nothing!"

Kioni was left speechless as she stared back at the older cub, she felt like she was about to cry when she saw a large paw come down gently to her side. She looked up to see a large lion with a tender expression standing by her. "Daddy?" she said to him.

Kianu immediately felt intimidated by the dark lion when he had realized that he was in the presence of the prince of the Pride Lands. Even though he felt scared of Kovu, he also felt envy and hatred for him because of the dark coloring. It reminded him of the pride that had placed him in this situation which was also a reason why he acted so cold towards the dark furred princess.

Kianu buried his cold feelings and let fear run through him. "I am so sorry! I-I didn't mean what I said" the golden cub stuttered.

"She may not understand but I certainly do" Kovu sighed.

"What?"

"That's right, daddy wasn't always a part of this pride" Kioni remembered. "You lived in the Outlands before coming here, right?"

Kovu nodded before turning his indifferent gaze on the former rogue. "Even though Vitani and I had done nothing wrong we were banished to the Outlands because of crimes done by our mother. For the longest time, I believed that we were banished because of Scar, the king's great uncle. I felt that I was unfairly banished because of someone who had no direct relation to me whatsoever."

Kianu had never heard this story before. He had known about Scar and the feud between Outsiders and Pride Landers, but not of the deeper story. He momentarily forgot that he was speaking to a prince so he turned his head away rudely. "That doesn't change anything. I've been alone with no one but my father, you had others with you."

"That wasn't my point, I'm not trying to make friends with you" Kovu replied calmly. "The fact is, I felt like a reject. But I was able to get along with someone who I was trying to avoid. She ended being a large part of my life. I would've never known what I was missing if it weren't for her. Try giving my daughter a chance, and if you still want to be alone, then she'll leave you alone."

"Yeah, I will, I promise I will" said Kioni.

Kianu stared at the father and daughter duo and finally sighed in defeat. "I can't believe I'm actually going to say this. Fine, I'll try hanging out with you."

"Yay! Hey maybe I can show you around!" cheered Kioni before turning to her father for permission. "Can we daddy?"

"Only if your mother goes with you" Kovu told her. "She should be sunbathing with the other lionesses."

He watched as his daughter ran up to Kiara with Kianu un full tow. He smiled to himself before going over to see how his other cub was doing. He turned around and saw Afua staring at him with a curious brow raised.

"Did you just tell them the story of how you met and fell in love with Kiara and then set them up to hang out with each other?" inquired Afua in wonder. "I would've never let my daughter hang out with a male on her own."

"I'm not going to restrict her" Kovu sighed. "Besides, I trust them, they're only cubs. If they end up falling in love then that's just their decision, I'm not going to control their lives."

"Like you did with mine?" Kito chimed in with a smile.

"That was months ago, let it go" exhaled his father in mock exasperation.

Kito grinned as he came up with a cheeky answer. "Never!"

"Oh really, then I guess you deserve a punishment, how does a visit from the tickle monster sound to you?"

Kito gasped at the same time his father tackled him to the ground and began to tickle him furiously. The cub ended up laughing hard enough to cause the others around them to burst out in raucous laughter.

-X-

"Are you sure you need nothing else?" asked Timon for the hundredth time that day.

Tamina groaned in slight frustration as she tried to concentrate on the swaying feeling she felt in her hammock. She let her hand fall on her protruding stomach before looking over at her worried and loving mate. "I am fine. There's no need for your concern, I'm pregnant, not dying."

"I know, but you can't really blame me for worrying. We're not as young as we should be when it comes to parenthood" said Timon shakily.

Twitch came over to them with a bowl of water for Tamina. At least, Timon thought it was for her until he dumped it on his head. "Sorry about that Timon" the chief said after the bowl was emptied out.

Timon rubbed the water out of his eyes as he stood up. "Why did you do that?!"

"It was Tammy's request. She wanted you to cool off because you were freaking out over the kits" Twitch replied.

"Oh, well then I needed that."

Ma suddenly speed walked over to them all excited with a bowl of her famous dung beetle stew. She was as smothering and perky as always. "Here you go sweetie" she smiled as she placed the bowl down into Tamina's hands. "You need to make sure you eat your fill, for you and the triplets."

"Thank you Ma, but you really don't have to, I haven't even finished the other three bowls of soup you gave me earlier" Tamina replied. "Look, it's great to be the center of attention for once in my life, but I'd really enjoy some peace and quiet right now."

"I'm so sorry; I'm just excited to finally have grandchildren who live with me. Whom I can see every single day, sing them lullabies, and squeeze their cute adorable cheeks" Ma mused. "My little Manny and his kits live so far I'd pass out before I even get there."

"Ma! Peace and quiet."

"Ooh, right, sorry dear."

"Good, and that goes for you two too" Tamina said to her mate and the colony chief. Ma, Timon, and Twitch did not utter another word and just watched her and awaited their next orders silently. Tamina raised an eyebrow before realizing what the problem was. "I also want to be alone" she sighed in exasperation.

"The lady wants to be alone!" Timon partially shouted.

"We know!" Twitch snapped back. He was standing next to the soon-to-be father when he had shouted and now he was partly death.

Tamina shook her head but couldn't hold back a smile as she watched the retreating forms of the best meerkat friends a girl could ask for. She lay back down on the hammock once she was finally alone and thought back to the days before she had met Timon.

Back then, she didn't have any friends of her own species, her own family didn't even like her. But this colony felt like an actual home to her. The members here actually felt like a real family instead of creatures who only tolerated her existence.

Wait, that's not true, she did have a family before. Even if they weren't the same species as her, they definitely loved her. Jelani, Chaka, and most of all, Kopa, they were always there for her. She had watched each of them of them grow up into fine young adults.

She frowned as she remembered one other lion that was there…Tala. The lioness had lost her mind and was exiled, she watched it herself. Tala was a good friend to her and an even better princess; she would've made an excellent queen if only…

Tamina shook her head to expel the bad memories from plaguing her mind. She shouldn't be thinking about the past at the moment. She should be focusing on the present and all the good that would come her way in the future. She had a wonderful mate and she was going to have three wonderful kits. She worried day and night if her kits might end up like Jelani and Tala's cub but she also swore to herself to never let denial get to her. She had to make sure that the past didn't repeat itself.

Tamina let herself sway a bit as she watched the white clouds roll by in the clear blue sky. "Tala" the meerkat whispered to the wind. "Wherever you are…I hope you've found your own happiness. Maybe one day…We'll meet again…"

-X-

Imara was breathing heavily as she looked back to see if she had escaped her pursuers. She had never expected for the months to swiftly run pass her but she knew she couldn't waste any time thinking about it.

She felt her heart racing a mile a minute as she tried to bury herself in the thick foliage of the bush. She watched as lions, dark as the night, race right by her hiding spot. "I've got to warn Tau before it's too late" she muttered.

She attempted to stand but fell back down into a motionless heap. The only movement from her was the gentle rise and fall of her chest which was only due to her raspy breathing. "You shouldn't move so much" her companion whispered to her.

"You don't understand Shujaa…Tau is there, at the Pride Lands, months ago, I told him to run there. But now…He's not safe there!" she cried out to him desperately. "If…If he's gone then I'll have lost everyone! My friends, my family…What can I do?"

"Calm down" said Shujaa soothingly. "Please, you need your rest. You're not thinking clearly and if you move too much then the wound on your shoulder will reopen. You've lost a lot of blood already and if you keep running this way…You won't even reach the Pride Lands."

"But…Tau…" she sobbed. "What about you? You can go reach him and tell him what that tyrant it planning, him and that other evil lion!"

Shujaa shushed her as he let her lean on him. He couldn't stand the thought of leaving the poor lioness alone while going off to save a pride he barely even knew. For now, he had to tend to her wounds and make sure that she would live.

He pulled her onto his back so that he could carry her away. He kept going until he made it to a large tree just at the border of the desert. The sandy expanse was the only obstacle between here and the Pride Lands.

Imara's eyes fluttered between opened and closed as if she couldn't decide between looking at the world and never seeing light again. She looked up to her companion and wondered for about the seventh time on this journey why he had decided to come with her. He knew that he would be considered a traitor if he did no matter how much the pride needed a shaman.

"Shujaa…Why…Why did you come with me? You could've stayed at home where it's safe…" she softly uttered.

Shujaa shook his head to show that she should really be getting some well deserved rest. He was a shaman but he wasn't nearly as good as any of the shamans in the Great Kingdoms. In his mind, he was an amateur at best. "I wanted to make sure you were safe. I didn't get to spend a lot of time with you and the other cubs when we were younger due to my shaman training but I always wanted to get to know you."

Imara smiled a bit to herself. She remembered Shujaa when he was younger; he always seemed so serious and sometimes a bit snobbish just because he was going to be the next shaman. But he was always a nice cub in general. But it was true that he was usually seen alone.

"But getting to know me? I don't find that as a valid excuse for risking your life for me" she giggled despite the dire situation.

"Well, I was tired of living in a pride with that tyrant of a king just like you were" he mused. "Plus, I believe in Tau, the princess had tried to make me one of her many lovers. But I also want to protect the Pride Lands; they've done nothing to deserve what's coming."

"I agree with you there" she nodded. "So you don't believe what that Thimba fellow was saying about Simba and the rest of his pride."

Shujaa shook his head. "Of course not, my master has told me many stories from the Pride Lands and I once met with the king myself. There is no doubt in my mind that they are a good pride, they don't oppress us 'lesser prides' as that scarred lion had put it."

"But Thimba…If I'm not wrong then the word itself means…"

"…Yeah, 'lion hunter', I don't think that that's his real name. But it arouses my curiosity, what had compelled him to be called the bringer of destruction to his own species? It is quite mysterious indeed."

"I just can't believe that the king and the rest of our pride bought that story though!"

"They all desired the power to be at the top" Shujaa sighed sadly. "All they want was to be stronger than those who rule over their own king. But they've never done anything to us; they've always left us alone for the most part."

"I know…But when I spoke out…" Imara stopped as she felt tears begin to emerge. She remembered how she had protested against Thimba's claims and then tried to stop the king. She remembered how she was stopped by the royal guards and then taken to a prison cell. The same one that Tau had been locked up in. She remembered how three days later, she was taken to her trial and heard that she was to be executed.

The next thing that happened was that Shujaa had helped her escape. They had kept running because this time because their pursuers were more determined than ever to catch their escaped convicts because of their failure last time. When she had insisted on going back and getting her family…Shujaa told her the horrifying truth. Just like Tau, her parents will killed by that tyrant.

Imara suddenly broke down crying as Shujaa shushed her soothingly. "Mara, I can't stand seeing you like this, please don't cry" the shaman hushed.

"But you don't get it! I've lost everyone close to me…I don't even have my friends from my previous pride" she sobbed.

Shujaa had almost forgotten that Imara was originally from another pride, not the Black Pride though he fur color fit in with them. "But…" he tried. "Mara, you said you lost everything…But what about me? Aren't I your friend?"

Imara looked up at him and buried herself into his warm chest. "Of course you are. I'm sorry if I implied that you weren't…Please…I want you to promise me that nothing will happen to you…"

Shujaa smiled as he wrapped and arm around her. "I promise…"

-X-

**Wow, that took a while. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this because I am dead tired. I stayed up for quite some time just to finish this up. I'm sorry if there was any delay but here it is! Tell me what you thought of it in a review if you can.**

**1) Do you think Kopa will survive Vitani's wrath? Why do you think this way?**

**2) Out of curiosity, if Kopa and Kovu were to fight to the death for real, who would come out to be the victor in your opinion? Why?**


	5. Home To All

**OMG, the Gravity Falls finale was epic! Now, pushing that aside, I am so sorry if I made you guys wait too long. But admittedly, I'm updating faster than others. Not that it was their fault to begin with. Anyhow, I've been reading some new stories lately, both are AU's so if you're interested then check them out. One is The Tale of Two Kings by TRON0602 and the other is Prince of the Pride by Yeti1995. Now it's time to answer those questions…**

**1) Vitani would never kill the lion. But one reader did give me a good idea of making Kopa sleep outside the den for a while. Thank you Dark Fox Tailz!**

**2) Kovu, no offense to Kopa but like many of you said, Kovu was trained to be an assassin. He obviously knows a thing or two more about killing than Kopa. But in all honesty, neither can bring themselves to kill the other at this point.**

**The first part of this chapter was inspired by the song **_**Colors of the Wind**_** from Pocahontas. Read and review!**

-X-

Kianu wondered how he got dragged into this, even if he was persuaded by prince Kovu, he could've still said no to the tour of the Pride Lands. As far as the young cub could tell, there was nothing to really see but grass and animals, big whoop. Yet the princess acted as if you couldn't see any of this at any other kingdom.

The former rogue rolled his eyes as they watched a herd of elegant gazelles leap by. Kioni lived here and she was still transfixed by the scene. "What's wrong? You don't seem to be enjoying yourself" noticed a sweet voice.

Kianu looked behind them at the mother of the princess, Kiara, daughter of King Simba and Queen Nala. "I just don't get what's so great about butterflies, herds of herbivores, and grass, I've seen this in many of the prides my father and I stayed at" he grumbled.

Kiara didn't like his attitude very much but knew that he must've had a rough life. It's not like Kovu and Vitani were any less bitter when they all first met. "I suppose you're right. Maybe we should show you some scenery that's unique to the Pride Lands" the lioness suggested. "We can start with the gorge and then Zulu Falls."

"I've seen crevices in the ground and waterfalls. No offense but this isn't as interesting as any of you may think it is" Kianu sighed.

"Well, maybe you've got be less closed about this" smiled Kioni, overhearing their conversation.

"Closed?" Kianu snorted. "Close minded would imply that I don't see the rest of the world. In case you haven't noticed, I've seen all of this in many other places! If anything, you're the one who should be more open."

Kioni rolled her eyes but grinned nonetheless. "That's not exactly what I meant. I meant that you're just seeing all the things before you as scenery or things that just exist. Try seeing them for something more, sure the scene gets old, but you just need to use the scenery to think about what's great about life, not what's the same."

"It's not my fault I've seen more of the world than you two have."

"You know, you talk as if you know this land better than we do" Kiara chuckled. "You don't own this land and to be honest, we don't either. This land belongs to all the animals who call it home. What my daughter is saying is that life is full of good things and if you just pass them off as something everywhere, you won't be able to see the little things."

Kianu still didn't seem to understand so Kiara took him by the scruff of his neck and tossed him onto her back. She then placed her giggling daughter onto her back behind the male cub.

"Wait, what the heck is she doing?" Kianu gasped in slight fear.

"Whoo, mother riding!" cheered Kioni.

"Hang on you two" Kiara grinned. The cubs complied; the male with a fearful expression and the female with a happy grin. "Here we go" Kiara shouted as she tore off.

She was able to catch up with the beautiful gazelles with ease. The herbivores weren't afraid since they knew that the heiress wasn't hunting. Instead they broke apart as if she was and they spread out. The leaped elegantly, some even leapt over the future queen and cubs themselves.

Kianu gasped in awe as he watched a gazelle jump overhead. "No way" he breathed.

Kiara then took a soft turn and ran straight towards the gorge. She turned right near the edge and began running towards the dam where she ran right through dozens of butterflies. They broke apart when she ran through them, created a veil of extravagant and extraordinary colors.

"Wow, even prettier than last time" Kioni laughed.

Kiara kept on running until they ran to where the dam started. She followed the river up until they saw where it forked into two; she still followed upriver until she made it to Zulu Falls. Kianu wondered if she was going to stop in front of it. But instead, she ran right through the waterfall from the rocky side. Once they reached the top, she let them down.

Kianu gasped at the shock of having heavy cold water pound on him but before he could angrily shout, he saw what was before him. The walls were covered in carvings of the constellations of the skies above. He couldn't believe that there was someone who could map out every star.

"You might want to hang on a little tighter for this part" Kioni suggested.

Kianu complied wondering what Kiara was up to this time.

His question was answered when Kiara began climbing the walls; she used the wall as a springboard to get herself to the top of the small cavern. There she grabbed onto the hole that was used to allow light into the cavern.

"You can open your eyes now" said Kiara.

Kianu shakily opened his eyes and gasped again. There, on the top of the waterfall, he could see row upon rows of mountains on the horizon. He'd never been able to see them from a view like this before. But he wondered how no water escaped into the cavern before realizing that the waterfall was angled out so that the cavern was under the part where the river flowed next to, not on top of.

"Final stop?" inquired Kiara.

"Final stop" nodded Kioni.

Kiara began running again until she made it back to Pride Rock, passing all the singing blue birds, trumpeting elephants, and watching all the baby animals learn to walk for the first time. Without stopping at the foot, she climbed up the steps and then up the structure itself until she reached the summit.

She stopped and allowed her passengers off of her back. "Welcome to Pride Rock's summit."

"Oh wow" breathed Kianu as he stepped forward. He knew that the view from the peak was amazing enough being able to view all the land, but the view from the summit was simply breathtaking. Everything seemed to be lit up in the orange glow of the setting sun. He was surprised to see how much time had already passed but he also found that he didn't regret his day.

"Pretty awesome huh?" smiled Kioni. "It's dangerous when you're up here alone but mother always takes us. She makes sure that we're all protected from any dangers. So what do you think of the Pride Lands now after taking the tour, mom style!"

Kianu couldn't help but chuckle to himself and then he stopped. He realized that it was the first time laughter had escaped his lips since he was very young. "I thought it was amazing. I've never done anything like it."

"Yeah, mom can be lots of fun when she's not forcing us to take baths" Kioni laughed.

"What's that?" frowned Kianu. He had pointed out an extremely large tree in the distance, even from their high vantage point; it was still difficult to see. What made it really noticeable though was the size of the tree compared to others and how it was set off from them too.

"That's Rafiki's tree, also known as the Tree of Life. Basically, Rafiki is the shaman of this land and he lives in that tree" Kioni explained. "Maybe we can show you it some other time like when mother regains her breath in the next week or so."

"Very funny" Kiara gasped in exhaustion. "I'll lead you two down now unless you want to stay up here a little longer."

"No, I think we'll come down now" said Kioni before remembering something. "Hey mother? Is it okay if me and the other cubs take Kianu to Starlight Cliff tonight? I want to show him that view!"

"I'm sure if his father is okay with it then you can all go. But since it'll be night, you'll have to get someone to come with you" Kiara replied. "Now come on, I can smell dinner."

"Starlight Cliff…" Kianu wondered aloud.

"Trust me, you'll love it" Kioni giggled.

-X-

Thimba had just returned from his mission successfully and was about to report it to Hasani when he passed by a lake. He stopped and took a good look at his reflection. He couldn't believe how deformed his face looked because of three scars Vitani had given him when they were younger.

He touched the spot and felt a sting of pain hit his chest. It hurt when Vitani had scratched him, it hurt more when Kopa shouted at him and then ran after her. How could he have trusted her more than him? She almost got him killed!

He remembered how his parents had reacted when they saw the scars on his face. They went straight to King Simba to tell him about. At the time, Simba was preoccupied with the fact that Vitani's father, Neo, had gone missing.

Even the king took an outsider's safety to be the priority over one of his own loyal subjects. When they finally got through to Simba, he went to have a talk with Vitani and her mother, Zira. But before that, Zazu came to them to tell the king that Zira had gone into labor. Her third cub was going to be born.

After that news was heard, both Simba and his parents dropped the subject of finding a punishment to the cub who deformed Jua's face. The young cub then ran back to the den and stayed in there, not allowing anyone come near him. He even pushed away Afua who had stayed behind to look after Jua's injuries while Sierra and Kopa ran after Vitani.

Kopa and Sierra tried to get through to him to but failed just like Afua did. He finally left the den a week later when the horrible news of the prince's death rang through the entire kingdom. Jua couldn't believe that Kopa was dead. From that day on, he vowed to himself to exact his revenge on Vitani and the other Outsiders.

When the day came for the Pride Landers and Outsiders to confront each other, he wasn't there. He and Afua had to go to a local pride for some sort of negotiations thing, the lion couldn't even remember what exactly. He just remembered that from the time Kovu had come to the time the Outsiders joined, he was away from the pride.

Thimba pounded the water with a balled paw angrily. He knew that it was unhealthy to keep all of his pent up frustration inside so he ended up roaring to the blood red sky. He waited for something to happen, for someone to come to him. No one did, he was alone…Just like he always was. He felt tears begin to sting his eyes and then he let it all out. He began crying and sobbing and shaking violently. He finally stopped when he felt a presence behind him.

"And the mighty lion wails like a little baby" laughed an obnoxious hyena.

The canine was accompanied by two others, one female buzzard, Nyota, and an annoying male cheetah that went by the name 'Jet'.

"I never thought I'd see the top of the food chain weep like you" Jet chuckled. "Hard to believe that such a pathetic creature like you is at our lord and master's right paw. Ha! Don't make me laugh more than I already have."

"No kidding, it's like a joke that never ends" Nyota joined in. "It's just all too funny!"

"Leave me alone" Thimba glowered as he pushed his way past them. "I don't need any of you telling me who I am."

"Really? Because it appears to me that you don't even know who you are" laughed the hyena.

"Yeah, I do believe that your name was Jua and_ not _Thimba" added Jet hysterically.

"Hey, 'Lion Hunter', if you ate yourself, would you disappear completely or become twice as big?" Nyota chimed.

Thimba was just about to retort venomously when a loud roar caught their attention. They all turned to see a black female leopard walk over to them. She didn't seem happy with the scene she saw before her.

"Kivuli" Thimba whispered. Pretty much none of the animals approved of Thimba being the center of attention for Hasani for two main reasons. First, he was a lion, and even though their leader was a lion, they still didn't like the species for their 'act of superiority'. Second, it was because Thimba was still fairly new to their little association and yet he was treated with more respect than others, the followers found this to be unfair. Although, it wasn't the lions who treated them unfairly, it was each other.

But out of every creature, only Kivuli treated Thimba nicely other than Hasani himself. She was kind around everyone but ruthless on the battlefield according to the longstanding members. "Don't you three have work to do?" snarled Kivuli to the non-lion species.

"Eh heh, yes, of course, we should get straight to it" Jet uttered nervously as he backed away slightly.

"D-Definitely, we were only checking up on our old friend Thimba" added Nyota.

"We would never torment him in anyway."

"Never, never in a million years!"

The cheetah and buzzard duo then turned their heads to their hyena companion for confirmation. "Bob?"

The hyena frowned and shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure we were tormenting him."

Jet slapped his forehead with his paw at the same time Nyota did so with her wing. Kivuli roared at them and they quickly scurried off in a frightened panic to escape her wrath. Kivuli gave a triumphant grin before turning to her fellow feline friend.

"So, how'd your mission go?" asked Kivuli in a much kinder voice.

It was the first time Thimba had ever seen the female so frightening. He couldn't help but feel both intimidation and admiration for her. "Everything went well, the first phase of the finale is about to begin" he grinned.

"Good, you should go report that to the boss, he's waiting in his den" smiled the leopardess. "Oh, but I think you should get those dried tear streaks cleaned off. He might go into full on parent mode if he saw you like that."

Thimba smiled. When the two had first met, Kivuli had joked around that Hasani looked out for him like a father or at least an older brother. But she also added that he knew that Thimba had a rough time and he paid extra attention and care for him.

"We have to look out for each other" she had said.

Thimba watched as she was about to leave before stopping her. "Wait! Kivuli! Before you go…Thank you…"

"It's no big deal, you could've handled those idiots by yourself" she shrugged.

"Not for that" he said while shaking his head. "Thank you for always having my back and for being my friend."

Kivuli smiled at him. "No problem…"

Thimba waited until the female feline had left before dipping one paw into the lake water and splashing it on his face. He washed away the tear stains in his fur before drying himself by shaking his fur around. He then advanced towards Hasani's den.

Once the younger lion entered, Hasani threw himself to him. "I was getting worried about you!" the older lion expressed. "I was told that you had come home at least an hour ago, I was waiting for you, you know!"

"I know and I'm sorry Hasani" Thimba chuckled. "I just wanted to take a rest from running for so long."

"I understand, I was overreacting…I guess I've forgotten what it's like to be in this huge den without you" Hasani sighed as he backed away from Thimba. "That was unsightly of a leader…Please report on your mission."

Thimba's mind was still on the first few statements his master had made but quickly shook his head to stay on the matter at paw. "The mission was a success" Thimba reported. "We have the full support of the Black Pride and the next step will take place in about a week."

"I see" Hasani nodded. "That's good. I was expecting some sort of stall…"

"Actually, there was a slight issue I ran into while I was there."

This immediately caught Hasani's interest since it was obviously preferred that his plan wouldn't have any snags in it. "And what might this little issue be, exactly?"

"There was one lioness who tried to kill me" Thimba told him with a sigh. "She said something about how I-we, how _we_ were wrong. But the king of the Black Pride had her jailed so I don't think we have to worry about her."

"Well that's good" Hasani breathed. "But the fact that you're telling me this…There's something else on your mind, isn't there? Did her words affect you in any way? Did you believe in what she said? Because if you did; I won't stop you from returning to the Pride Lands."

"What-?"

"But just know that if we meet out on the battlefield that I won't hesitate to kill you."

"No! I would never leave you…I mean, I would never leave this. I've gone too far not to see this plan go through; I want to see this Utopia for myself. I wasn't going to say that I would leave!" Thimba quickly spouted. He felt embarrassed having to say all this but he also felt that it needed to be said.

Hasani seemed taken aback by these words though. "Fair enough, I didn't even hear you out. What _is_ on your mind then?"

Thimba looked down for a moment as he tried to choose out his next words carefully. He knew that he had asked a similar question about the hyenas a few months ago. "It's just, the Black Pride doesn't like lighter colored lions which is why I had to go in there in black paint…But, that's just it. They're unfair and treat others unjustly just because they're a different color, they represent the very opposite of our order. So why enlist them for their assistance?"

"It is for their fur color that we need them" Hasani started to explain slowly. But he wasn't explaining it like he was talking to a child. "They're the only ones capable of getting this plan rolling. Don't get me wrong, I despise that pride like everyone else here. So when they have completed their job, they shall be disposed of."

"Disposed of?" Thimba repeated in slight disbelief. "That makes you sound like Scar."

Thimba immediately regretted those words when he saw Hasani's eyes widened. He was just about to apologize when Hasani roared ferociously and pounced on him. Hasani had Thimba pinned down to the ground faster than the blink of an eye. "Never compare me to that monster" Hasani snarled.

"I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking!" Thimba pleaded. He suddenly felt a warm tear slide down his cheek and automatically blushed in embarrassment.

Hasani blinked and it was as if he was seeing Thimba for the first time. He quickly got off of him and ran farther into the cave. "Thimba…" he called from within the den. "You are dismissed, I just need to calm down…"

Thimba could hear the leader of their organization breathing heavily as if he had just encountered something utterly frightening. And Thimba understood, Hasani was facing the inner turmoil and darkness inside him.

Thimba took a deep breath as he stepped in further until he could see the shaking form of the lion. He nestled himself next to him and buried his face into his thick mane. "You know that it's not your fault…I crossed the line with that remark, you're right. I wasn't thinking…"

Hasani finally stopped shaking and his breathing became much more leveled and even. "I'm sorry too…I overreacted again. I'm glad you're here with me…You're like a brother…Just like Kanu was to me…"

"I see" Thimba whispered. "But there's nothing for you to worry about. Before long, every kingdom will have fallen and there will be no more monarchy. There will only be home, for all the animals, for all of them to live together in peace."

Hasani nodded in agreement as he realized how close he was to achieving the dream he had shared with his once best friend. "Yes…" he finally said as he stood up. He marched towards the opening of the den and waited for Thimba to join them. From their vantage point, they could see all of the land before them as well as their followers. "Soon, all of this land will truly be a home to all!"

-X-

Kianu's overly cautious behavior made it hard for the other cubs to feel comfortable around him. It wasn't really his fault though; he had gained such a way of behaving due to his life as a rogue. There were always desperate predators ready to kill and devour a young cub or even steal food from them. Such a lifestyle made it difficult for one to relax even if they knew they were safe.

"You don't need to be afraid" Simba chuckled ahead of them. He had wanted to tag along and show Tau the sight for himself as well. "You're father is here with you and where we're going, you won't be in need of much protection."

"Yeah, the only thing you have to worry about is falling off the cliff" Kito agreed.

"I don't think that made him feel calmer" Neo remarked with a shake of his head.

"Well, he'll loosen up once he sees all the pretty lights" Amali giggled.

Kianu glanced over at Kioni and only relaxed just a little. It seemed that he had grown to trust the princess above the other cubs since he did manage to spend some time with her. "I don't really understand, if by' pretty lights' she means stars, can't you see them from basically anywhere?" he asked.

Kioni nodded to show that she generally agreed with him. "Yeah, but it's more than just stars. You'll understand when you see it. Trust us; it's a sight unique to the Pride Lands. Kind of like the Upendi Grove."

"Huh?"

"It's a place that mother won't show us until we're older and have mates" Kito laughed.

"We don't really get it…" Amali added.

Simba suddenly stopped in front of the ivy curtain that covered what was ahead of them. He looked back at Kianu and Tau. "I think our guests should be the first ones to behold Starlight Cliff" said the king as he gestured for them to go first.

Tau looked at his son before walking a little bit ahead. He paused and waited for Kianu to bound up to his side. They both walked through the ivy curtain together and everyone else behind them could hear their gasps of surprise and awe. They soon followed suit.

"What do you think?" inquired Kioni.

Tau and Kianu stared in awe of the many stars and floating fireflies. The moon shined brightly in the sky that lay before them. It was truly a magnificent sight that you could only behold in the Pride Lands.

"So the rumors are true" smiled Tau. "The Pride Lands _are_ as beautiful as they say."

-X-

**Okay, so I hoped you all liked this chapter because that's all I'm giving you. I know it's not so realistic with the "mother ride" but I've seen some crazier stuff written. Hope you all liked it and are going to review but before I go, I'm leaving you guys some questions. Answer, if you dare…**

**1) What is your opinion of Zazu, is he has annoying as people say he is?**

**2) And what about Kiara? Do you find her as naïve and childish as others do?**


	6. Lesson Learned

**I think I've done the best I could for this story. Many of you might have high expectations for this story, I do too. But that makes it that much harder to type. I feel as though I might mess up from time to time. That's where you guys come in; your support is really helpful and motivating so I hope you all keep supporting me throughout the rest of the series. So I just wanted to take the time to thank you and show how grateful I am. Read and review after the questions are answered.**

**1)You're all been paying attention to my writing, Zazu isn't annoying, he's just overly formal and it just gets on the nerves of others at times.**

**2) Like the previous question, Kiara isn't as naïve as others think. She just lives live with a smile and tries to look on the positive side of things; I think those are great qualities for her.**

-X-

"Okay, so that's…Kianu with twenty-three wins and Kito and Neo both with zero" Amali giggled. She was tallying up the scores of which of the princes could actually beat Kianu in a play fight. So far, neither has even come close. Kianu was far too experienced and the closest they had come to beating him was when the former rogue was winded.

"When will you two ever learn?" Kianu sighed with a disappointed shake of his head. "I'm way too good for you guys, you can't even pin me for a second. It's more like fighting with a newborn than two other lion cubs to be perfectly honest."

"Kianu, you promised you wouldn't be so rude to them" Kioni scolded.

It's been about a week since that night on Starlight Cliff, Kianu was starting to hang out with the other cubs now but he still wasn't very nice. So Kioni took it upon herself to coach him in the arts of formality and kindness. This of course had caused Kianu to roll his eyes.

"No, I promised to try being a little nicer to them" Kianu argued. "I was going to say that fighting with them was like fighting with a dead fish."

Kioni rolled her eyes but then she gasped in surprise when Kito suddenly tackled their sort of new friend to the ground. The two male cubs rolled around for a bit before Kianu was able to escape the prince's grasp. His next move involved diving under the prince and then pushing up.

"Whoa!" Kito cried out as he fell down in front of opponent.

This gave Kianu the chance to pounce on him and pin him down. Kianu gave a mock yawn of boredom before giving the smaller cub a smug grin of satisfaction. "I'm still way too good for you" Kianu chuckled victoriously.

"Oh yeah!" called Neo from behind.

Kianu rolled his eyes as he sidestepped the cub that was just in mid pounce. Neo ended up landing on his cousin with a painful thud. They both cried out in shock and pain before Kianu leapt on top of them.

"Looks like I've conquered idiot mountain" Kianu smiled.

The girls giggled at how annoyed the princes' were and how triumphant Kianu did as he got off of them. "You two are completely hopeless and relentless, it's almost sad to watch. Now if it wasn't so funny…" giggled Amali.

"Oh, so you think you can do any better?" inquired Neo.

"You're heavy Neo" Kito muttered as he joined his sister.

Neo ignored his cousin's comment as he moved into a crouching position, ready to lunge at Amali. She did the same; they were both bent down as they began circling each other, the other cubs watching intently, including Kianu who took to Kioni's other side.

They both stopped and it looked as if both were ready to pounce. Neo leapt right in for the smaller cub while she made the motion as if she was going to do the same. Instead, she threw herself onto the ground causing Neo to go right over her. He landed a couple feet behind her in a painful thud.

"Oof!" he gasped out when he landed.

"You're pathetic" Kianu sighed.

"When you can't beat your opponents in brawn, beat them in brains" laughed Amali.

"You learned that from Timon" Kito said accusingly.

"He may be a kooky old uncle with some quirks to him but he's got some good advice to give" Kioni pointed out. "Maybe it comes with age."

"Auntie Tammy's not that far from his age but she moves like a cheetah" her brother retorted.

Kianu raised an eyebrow at the mention of family members he had never heard of. "Who are Timon and Tammy? And why do they have such peculiar names?" he asked with curiosity as Neo stood back up.

"They're meerkats, they use all kinds of names of their own" Amali explained.

Kioni frowned upon hearing her friend's statement. "That sounds rude Amali."

"Well, Tammy isn't her real name, it's a nickname, her real name is Tamina" Kito explained.

It was Kianu's turn to frown, he had never heard of a meerkat as fast as a cheetah, even if it was an exaggeration. "I don't know exactly who this…'Tammy' is but I seriously doubt you should be respecting meerkats so much. What makes them so worthy to be revered?"

"That's mean Kianu" Kioni protested. "Our grandfather, the king, was taken in by a meerkat when he was lost and chased out of the kingdom. If it wasn't for that meerkat, the Pride Lands wouldn't be the way it is today."

"Yeah" her brother agreed. "Besides, if you met and tried to fight Auntie Tammy, she'd leave you panting for breath and begging for your life."

Kioni cuffed Kito on the head as if he was the she was angry at. "That's rude too! Besides, Tammy's pregnant so she can't really do anything against him anyway."

"Oh yeah…And OW!"

"But you still shouldn't say bad things about Timon or Tammy or any of the meerkats for that matter" Amali added as Kianu rolled his eyes. "They're good friends of the royal family and we respect them. They've helped us out more than we can count."

"I'm guessing that's one" Kianu scoffed.

The other four cubs were just about to retaliate but whether the responses were annoyed or spiteful, they would never know as another voice responded before any of the others. "That is particularly rude."

They turned and Kianu scowled at the sight before them. Standing there was a red warthog; he had a strange stick attached to his side that had several gourds on it. It was strapped to him by a vine and tied at his underbelly.

"Uncle Pumbaa!" the other four cubs cried out. They surrounded him automatically as if he was carrying gifts he had to give them.

"What are you doing all the way here? And why do you have Rafiki's stick with you?" Amali asked with much curiosity. "Did he give it to you?"

"Hm…" mused Pumbaa thoughtfully. "I'm here to give the king a message. Yes, Rafiki did give me his stick. And I have it because it is very soon that I shall be taking his place in the Circle of Life as the Shaman of Love."

There was a very loud simultaneous intake of breath from the four cubs as they let these words sink in. "Are you saying that Rafiki is going to die soon?" inquired Kioni though she was afraid of the answer.

Pumbaa nodded sadly. "I feel just as remorseful as you guys do but it's all a part of life. As you all know, Rafiki is very old but he's lived a very fulfilling life…What other baboon do you know can proudly say that they lived to see the crowning of several kings or say that they've beaten up a couple of wild hyenas? He will miss you all but always remember that he will be watching over us from the heavens above."

"Whenever you say things like that it always makes things seem not so bad" Kito laughed.

"He's still going to die" Kianu grumbled.

"…And I guess you are Kianu" Pumbaa said after a moment or two. "It seems that the rumors are true, you're not the kindest lion cub on the Serengeti are you? You should try to be nicer to others or you'll grow without friends."

"Like I need friends."

"My master tells me that there is no life worse than a lonely one."

"Well I'm not lonely! I've got my dad and that's all I need."

"You said it yourself…'He's still going to die'" Pumbaa quoted. Kianu slowly looked up at the warthog instead of away to show that he was paying a little more attention than his attitude was showing. "It's the sad truth; your father may always be in your heart but he's not going to be physically there for you forever."

"Well he'll be with me long enough!"

Pumbaa sighed sadly as he looked at the other four cubs that were watching him intently but silently. He then turned back to Kianu. "I'm not going to tell you what you can or cannot do but just know that if you ever feel lost…I will be there for you and so will these other cubs. They're all trying their hardest to be your friend; all you're doing is pushing them out. Let them in and you might be surprised."

"Why should I take advice from a lowly creature like you?" Kianu finally blurted out. "I'm a lion, I don't take orders from the likes of you!"

Once again, the cubs all gasped together in shock. Pumbaa shook his head, he knew he was bound to do it at one point, he just wasn't expecting it to be so soon. In a single swift movement, his hoof went to his underbelly and undid the knot. The staff was falling as Pumbaa turned a bit to grab it with his mouth and then knocked Kianu on the head with it.

"Ow!" Kianu exclaimed as he rubbed the tender spot on his head.

"Ooh, he just got hit by the stick" Neo whispered.

"It's always bad to get hit by the stick" Kito whispered back.

Kianu would've shot a nasty statement towards Pumbaa if he wasn't so shocked to see Pumbaa retie the staff to his side with his hooves. Pumbaa wasn't as surprised, he had spent the last six days working on tying knots with his hooves.

Once Pumbaa was finished, he looked back at the glaring cub. "Hm, and I suppose you're brethren from your home pride would've been proud of those words."

"What are you blabbering on about pig?" Kianu snapped.

Pumbaa was tempted to strike Kianu again but restrained himself quite easily. The other four cubs were expecting him to go ballistic too since they were taught very carefully never to call Pumbaa 'pig'. Apparently it was an unbelievably offensive term to him, more so than his own name.

"First of all…It's _Mister_ Pig." Pumbaa chided before getting to the actual matter at paw or hoof. "And second, you're an outcast because of your light fur. The lions of the Black Pride treated you as another species, one they could now concern themselves with. I guess you really do come from the same gene pool as them."

Kianu blanched and gawked at Pumbaa as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard, which in all honesty, he didn't. But to be compared with the ones he despised, it was pretty reasonable though, he just couldn't believe that he just slumped down to the same level as his mother. He watched Pumbaa walk away from them after he said his goodbyes to the other cubs.

Kito, Neo, and Amali ended up walking away from them as well. Kioni was just about to follow when she saw Kianu run off in another direction. She saw how sad he looked and she ended up feeling bad for him. So instead of following her friends to some other area to play, she ended up following him.

Kianu stopped when he had reached the water hole. There plenty of other creatures there, varying from the small baby chimps to large bull elephants. He couldn't help but think of Pumbaa's words, he looked down at his reflection and flinched when he saw it.

Staring back at him was his own face, but the fur was different, instead of his radiant gold, it was dark like a night with the moon or stars. Total darkness was what he saw staring back at him. He groaned to himself and squeezed his eyes shut but the image seemed to have burned itself into his mind. '_What if that warthog's right? What if I'm just like those stupid traitors? Am I…just like them?_'

He shook his head fiercely as he tried to dismiss the thought. He was disgusted by himself for brushing others off just because they were different. Now that he thought about it, it wasn't just other species he had brushed off. Those other cubs too, he pushed away, shut them out, all because he thought they were different. He never let them know him because he thought that they couldn't possibly understand his situation, what he had to live through since he was born.

Kianu sighed. "Maybe I really am like them…I'm such an idiot!" He groaned to himself as he slapped the water with his paw causing his reflection to shift and ripple until his reflection was back to normal. He leaned back until he was lying on his back.

With his head rolled back, he could see Kioni staring at him with a worried expression etched on her pretty little features. She stepped closer to him and crouched down so that she could look at him in the eye. "I don't think you're an idiot" she said to him with her tail flicking back and forth.

Kianu was just about to retort venomously when he caught his tongue. He knew that she was only trying to cheer him and once again, he tried to shut her out. Like it matter anyway, something about this cub just told him how persistent she was.

"It doesn't matter what you think" he sighed sadly as he sat back up. "I know what I am and you know what you are. You're the princess, you're the one from a royal bloodline, I acted all high and mighty towards your friend and I got a stick to the head."

Kioni giggled and let the faint hint of a smile remain on her face. He looked about as confused as anyone would be if they reacted like that. "You're not the only one though."

"What do you mean?"

"Neo and Amali have been hit on the head too, not by Pumbaa but his master, an old baboon named Rafiki" Kioni started with her explanation. "They were fighting with each other and wouldn't stop. It got on his nerves."

"So? What's this supposed to teach me?"

"Kito and I were hit by Rafiki too."

This time, Kianu reacted by whipping his head to look at her as if he had heard something threatening in her direction. His eyes has widened in surprise when he had heard that. "But, you two are from the royal family. Did he get into trouble for hurting you guys?"

"That's what Kito had wanted" Kioni giggled. "We had walked too far from Pride Rock and got lost. Mama and papa got really worried about us but Rafiki found us before anyone else did. When he got us back to Pride Rock, he hit us both on the head with his stick for making our parents worry. Kito wanted dad to punish him, but instead he scolded us for going off too far when he specifically told us to stay where our babysitters could keep an eye on us."

"I see…But…What exactly is this supposed to teach me?"

"That everyone has their idiotic moments. And not just the cubs like us, grandpa, the king, when he had recently got into adulthood, was once hit by this evil stick too. But that was a long time ago. Actually, even Rafiki himself had been hit by the stick, he told us stories about how his master would scold him this was or once, how a meerkat named Ma once even used it against him."

Kianu sighed, he appreciated the fact that Kioni wanted to help him but he felt that it wasn't working. This made Kioni feel concerned and as if she had failed miserably. "I get that everyone has their bad moments but…What I did, I became the very thing I despised most" Kianu choked out.

"…You shouldn't fret over it…" Kioni tried again, this time a little more desperately. "I mean, if you don't like pushing us away anymore then you can just start anew."

"Start anew?" he repeated.

She nodded with a smile and renewed determination. "Exactly, so next time, when we try to play with you, you should sigh and roll your eyes, try it. All you need to do is let us in and maybe we can have some real fun together."

"But I thought we were having plenty of…fun…doing what we usually did."

"You treat those little play matches as sparring matched" Kioni disagreed. "That's not fun for the guys, try fighting without the intention of harming or proving your superiority."

He frowned at the idea. "What's fun about that?"

Kioni cuffed him over the head. When he snarled and was about to snap at her, she pushed him into the water hole with a paw. "You need to cool off a little bit, that cut throat attitude of yours is another reason why everyone chooses to keep their distance from you."

He sighed and shook the water off of himself as he got out of the water. He knew she was right and it was like Pumbaa had said 'Let them in and you might be surprised.' Well Kianu had to admit, he was curious as to how he would be surprised.

"Fine, I'll do things that are more Pride Lands fun. And let me guess, pushing me in the water was fun for you" he stated.

"A little" she giggled.

"Well, the water was great, why don't you have a dip?"

"Huh?"

With that Kianu shoved the princess into the water hole but not with the ferocity of getting vengeance but more for the enjoyment of seeing her wet and a little upset. She stuck her head out of the water and gave Kianu a look that said she would get him back for that.

"You're right, that was fun!" laughed Kianu.

"Well then, you should jump back in, its way more fun with two."

"Eh, no thanks, I just got my fur dry-!"

Kioni rolled her eyes before lunging and grabbing one of his back legs and pulling him into the water. He yelped, partially in surprise and partially in surprise. After the big splash he made, they both looked at each other and ended up laughing. The two of them ended up splashing each other with water for the rest of the day.

"You two look like a muddy mess" sighed Vitani when she had found them. The sky was a blazing orange with the sun setting in the horizon as the tawny lioness pulled the two cubs out of the water. "Both your parents are crazy worried about you."

"We're sorry Auntie Tani, we didn't mean to get them worried" Kioni apologized sweetly.

"Yeah" added Kianu. "We were just playing around and I guess we lost track of time. We're sorry."

Vitani was caught by surprise by how much more polite Kianu was behaving especially after the first few days of knowing him. He always rude towards her and she figured that it was because of her dark fur color since he behaved in such a way towards all the former dark colored Outsiders. "Huh, it looks like that Kioni is finally rubbing off on you" Vitani mused with a smile. "And don't worry about your parents, when they take a look at you guys, they'll be more concerned if they ever see a patch of your fur ever again."

The two cubs giggled in amusement to her humor as she led them back to Pride Rock. "Are we really that dirty?" asked Kioni curiously.

"Oh yeah, the two of you are just tracking mud all over the place."

After a couple of minutes, the three of them finally made it back to Pride Rock. A little way back, they had seen the figure of a lioness, presumably Kiara who disappeared from view and was now probably waiting for them to ascend the steps of their home.

When they reached the very top, they found that their guess had been correct and it really was the light colored princess waiting for them. Her expression of worry melted into one of relief before turning into surprise. "Kioni…Great Kings you're filthy!" she cried out.

"What were you two doing to get you in such a mess?" asked Tau who pulled Kianu towards him.

"Let's just say, never play in the shallow part of the water hole" Kianu sighed. "I'm sorry for worrying you father, really I am."

"I know you are, I'm just so happy you're safe" Tau breathed. "Now I have to get you clean."

"And after I gave you such a thorough bath this afternoon" Kiara moaned. "Next time you stay out too late, at least come back clean. Or at least as clean enough so that I can see what your facial expression is. Ugh, this isn't going to sit well with my stomach."

Kioni giggled. "Sorry. Maybe you can just take us to Zulu Falls so we can wash off the loose dirt on the outside."

"That sounds like a good idea" she nodded as she took her up in her mouth by the scruff of her neck. "Tau, are you coming too? It won't take long."

He nodded and took Tau into his mouth as well and followed the princess to the waterfall. "Good luck with that" Vitani chuckled. She made her way towards the den but stopped in front of her mate who was pacing back and forth right outside, apparently waiting for her.

"Vitani, it's getting seriously cold out here" Kopa shivered. "Don't you think I've been punished enough? It's been nearly over a whole week. I think I've learned my lesson, I promise I never meant what I had told Neo. And he heard wrong anyway, I would never say such things about my lovely and brilliant mate."

"Ah, flattery, nature's bribes" Vitani grinned. "Sorry, but you're not off the hook just yet. I want to make sure to get it through your thick skull that I'm the one who runs this relationship." She slinked right past him but not without letting her tail trail right under his chin.

He couldn't help feeling slightly aroused by her feminine charms but quickly remembered that he was trying to shift his way out of this punishment his mate had set for him. "Please, let me sleep in the den again. I can't take a whole month."

"Hm…No…But I will shorten it so that you only need to stay out here for three more days" she smiled. "Have fun out there!"

She trotted into the den at the same time Simba left it. He walked over to his son and was unable to hide his amused grin. "So, you've finally learned to never mess with the female if you're in a serious relationship" the king chuckled.

"Can't you do something about this? You're the king and I'm your son, you can make her obey you and let her uplift this stupid punishment!" he groaned and pleaded.

Simba shook his head. "Sorry, but your mother has approved of this little punishment. She even gave me a glare to prove it, daring me to try and uplift it for you. As I have once learned, and what you are learning right now, never do or say anything that may upset your queen. You will get hurt. You grandfather, King Ahadi had a much worse punishment than you when he angered your grandmother, Queen Uru."

The prince grimaced to show he felt sorry for Ahadi, he, like everyone else have heard the stories of the great warrior queen Uru who showed that any lioness could be as strong as thirty male adult lions. "Well…At least it's not as bad as whatever his punishment was" Kopa finally mumbled in defeat.

"Hearing it will make you shudder."

-X-

**So, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter; it's something that lifts you away from all the drama and actions so that it only leaves you the latest from the Pride Lands. I've been thinking about adding some history chapter, basically a side story in this one, of Ahadi and Uru. Since I've got one for every story so far, Tale of Two Kings had Taka, Story of the Stars had Mohatu, what do you guys think? I really appreciate any feedback you can give me.**

**1) Concerning the ending of this chapter, what kind of punishment do you think Uru could've given Ahadi? And what do you think he did or said to deserve it? (I have no idea myself so I'd like suggestions in case I decide to do the history lessons)**

**2) Do you believe that one gender is superior to the other? (If you do, listen to Bridgit Mendler's **_**Postcard **_**and tell me what you thought of the message)**


	7. Historically True

**I'm back everyone and I've decided to give everyone this random history lesson of Ahadi and Uru. No, of course not, it's relevant to the story. Kind of…The actual point of it is just bed time stories from Pumbaa to the cubs. I wanted to squeeze it in somehow but the only relevance that it actually teaches is the lesson which is just like the one I'm going to teach you in the main story. So here it is chapter six! Remember to review!**

**1) I do not know, that is why I asked you people! Although a lot of you suggested castration or a variation of that…Do you honestly believe that Uru would do something so cruel and, let's admit it, gross?**

**2) Heaven's no! Sure they can be superior in different aspects but the fact is that there are all kinds of people out there, some are good at sports, others at music, some are dancers, others are intelligent, but no specific group will be better at everything than another.**

**P.S. Even though Pumbaa is telling the story, it is not from what the cubs are hearing. The cubs are hearing what they should hear, you guys are taking a trip to the past.**

-X-

Pumbaa exhaled heavily as he watched the rain fall outside the den. Rafiki had passed away peacefully in his sleep and he was the first to find out in the early morning. Simba and the other lions were mourning over the passing of the old shaman and tomorrow, Pumbaa would be officially appointed as the new shaman of the Pride Lands.

"But there's still so much I haven't learned" the warthog whispered to the sky. He sighed again as he walked to the back of the den. The wet season was soon coming to an end and it was likely that this night of rain might be their last one in a while.

Pumbaa was snapped out of his trance by the voice of prince Kito. "Uncle Pumbaa…We can't sleep."

The warthog approached the resting cubs, the quartet of trouble as they were known by Zazu. Of course they were about nine other cubs in the pride and Kianu who sat nearby but noticeably farther from the rest of the pride. Pumbaa was supposed to be watching them since it was long past their bed time.

"I keep thinking about Rafiki, it just seems so unreal" Kioni whispered sadly. The other cubs, except for Kianu all nodded and murmured in agreement.

"…I know how you all feel…He was my master…And now I have to take his place in the Circle of Life. But I would give up all of that if he could still be with us" Pumbaa breathed. "…Maybe…I can tell you guys a story to put you to sleep."

Some of the cubs perked up slightly at the sound of a bed time story. "Okay, but what is it about?" asked Neo curiously.

"Anything you guys want I guess…Anything you guys know about Pride Land history that you wish you could know more of?" asked Pumbaa.

The cubs glanced at each other before deciding that it was for the princes to decide. "What about King Ahadi and Queen Uru?" suggested Kito. "We don't know much about them but we hear about Mohatu and Mufasa all the time!"

Pumbaa chuckled softly, realizing not for the first time of how colorful Simba's ancestors' history was. "All right, I tell you about it. I've heard it many a time from my master. Everyone gather round…That include you Kianu."

Kianu reluctantly stood up from his spot and moved closer to the rest of them. He took a vacant spot right next to Kioni and pretended not to notice the other cubs around him shift uncomfortably. "I'm pretty sure I can hear you just fine from my spot over there" the golden cub muttered.

"Why do you want to be apart from everyone anyway?" Pumbaa inquired.

"Because most of them don't even like me…And…I don't know Rafiki like everyone else does…I've never even met him before" Kianu sighed. "…So I feel out of place because I've experienced death but…I've never felt sad. I still don't so…I just feel…"

"Misplaced?" Pumbaa offered. When he received a nod from the cub he continued. "Believe me, I know the feeling. Before I had met Timon, I was an outcast; I always drove other animals away from me. That's why I want you to sit here with us; I want you to feel that you are welcomed here."

Kianu gave him the faintest of smiled before getting into a much more comfortable position. Once everyone showed that they were prepared to listen to the story, Kito spoke on their behalf. "We're ready!"

"All right then…" smiled Pumbaa as he thought for a bit. "Where to start…Hm…I know! I think I'll begin at a place where you can all relate. This was only a couple months after princess Uru was born and she was hanging out with her best friend…"

-X-

Princess Uru's tail swished in excitement behind her as she watched the rising rays of the golden sun. Today was her first day she could leave Pride Rock without babysitters. As long as she didn't go to any of the areas restricted to her or too far.

"Well don't you look excited" yawned the tired voice of her father from behind her.

Uru smiled widely as she ran up to the king and bounced around him. "How can I not be? Today I finally have my first real taste of freedom! Being a princess is hard if it means I can't do things without Zaza breathing down my neck!"

"That's the price you have to pay if you're going to be queen one day" Mohatu chuckled. He nuzzled his daughter affectionately and she returned the gesture. She loved being a princess but she loved being with her father much more.

Then, a golden laugh joined them from inside the den. From inside approached Jolina, the queen of the Pride Lands and Uru's mother. "Out of curiosity, how much sleep did you get? Or were you so excited you barely slept?" she asked.

Uru sheepishly grinned back. "I may have been awake for a large portion of the night."

Mohatu shook his head in mock disappointment, he was smiling the whole way though. "That is a very naughty thing to do. Such behavior shall not be tolerated, I guess that means you shall be severely punished when you come home."

"No!" she wailed out but couldn't help giggling to herself. "Anything but severe punishment!"

"That behavior is even worse! A princess should never show such indignity" Jolina huffed who was the best at acting by far out of the three of them. "I guess this means that we should give her the punishment right now."

Uru pretended she was going to escape so it gave Mohatu an excuse to nab her and hold her still. He lifted her up and then put her back down on her back. She giggled madly as he began to tickle her exposed belly.

Once he had stopped, Uru struggled to get back on her feet as she wiped the remaining tears in her eyes. "You really didn't have to do that, you know…" she grinned once her giggling had finally subsided.

"Oh, but you deserved it" said Jolina, mocking her daughter's whine.

Uru gave her mother an amused look before turning away dramatically. "Hmph! Well, you don't have to mock me!"

"Okay drama queen" laughed Mohatu. "I do believe it's time for you to wake up your best friend and get moving. Remember to stay within sight of Pride Rock, don't go too far, and do not for whatever reason, agitate the rhinos, elephants, hippos, or any other big beast you find along the way."

Jolina nodded in agreement. "Other predators too, like wild dogs, cheetahs, leopards…"

"Okay, okay, I get it; now get off my back already!" Uru groaned. "I swear we won't go off too far and I also promise that I'll come back. Nothing's going to happen, I'm your daughter after all, you guys must've raised me right and if you didn't, well, that just means that you're bad parents."

Jolina raised a brow at her daughter's attitude but knew where she got it from. Her mate was clearly thinking along the same lines because he then responded. "I see you have your mother's impatience and spark" the king smiled.

"And how do you know she didn't get it from you?" asked Jolina defensively. Jolina gasped slightly as she suddenly felt horrible for what she said, Ahadi also seemed to look away abruptly as well. Thankfully, it appeared as though Uru hadn't noticed this.

Uru rolled her eyes with a smile before running back into the den. "I'm going to wake up Ahadi."

The king and queen watched as their daughter ran back into the den. After their daughter was out of sight and most likely out of earshot, they looked back at each other. "I am so sorry I said that" Jolina whispered as she nuzzled her mate lovingly. "I know how hard it must be for you…To lie to our daughter every single day of your life…"

Mohatu silently returned his mate's nuzzle. It worried her when he didn't speak for a moment of two but then he finally said something. "…I…I don't know if we should lie to our daughter in the first place…Maybe we should tell her the truth…"

"…I'm…I'm not sure if I can do that…"

"I know we're protecting her from the harsh reality of things but she's going to find out sooner or later, right? And if it's sooner rather than later…It'll hurt her less…"

Jolina tried to stop herself from crying but failed and let her tears fall freely into Mohatu's mane. "I don't know Mohatu…I don't know…"

Uru stepped away from the wall of the den. As usually, she remained where she was to listen to everything her parent's had to say. She sometimes cursed her curiosity for it but if it wasn't for that tendency then she wouldn't have been able to hear the truth a long time ago. She wasn't angry at her parents; she knew that it was just as hard on them as it was on her when she found out.

She also didn't want to tell them that she knew the truth; it would make them feel horrible. Granted it would make them feel bad if they had to tell her later but she knew that no one else in the pride knew other than Hondari. But she knew that she wouldn't hide it from her family, she would tell the truth to her future mate, cubs, and make sure that they would tell their cubs and many generations after.

Uru sighed as she walked up to her best friend; he was a dark colored lion by the name of Ahadi. He was sleeping with his mother and father and it was pretty clear that he didn't like to be away from them. Other cubs their age seemed to already behave a bit rebelliously and tend to avoid contact with their parents but they still show that they love them. Ahadi on the other paw tends to show his expression of love a bit too much. This led Uru and Ahadi to be each other's only friend other than Hondari. They were also both considered outcasts among the cubs since they were pretty much the only cubs with dark fur. The adults are always trying to let them fit in with everyone though.

"Hey…Ahadi, wake up" Uru nudged him tenderly. "Don't tell me you're going to sleep in all day sleepy head…" Uru stepped back when he constant nudging didn't wake her sleeping friend. "All right…You asked for it."

She walked on top of Ahadi's father and succeeded without waking him up, like father like son she supposed. She regretfully reminded herself of the fact that her father wasn't related her. She jumped down on Ahadi, using her weight to cause an abrupt and unpleasant wake up call for him. She covered his mouth quickly so his yelp was muffled.

"What was that for?" he gasped out groggily after she had gotten off of him.

"To wake you up" she smiled.

"Well next time, do what you usually do and wake up Hondari to wake me up. At least he doesn't jump on me" Ahadi grumbled irately.

"I tried to wake him up but he's sleeping like the dead."

"Actually" said another voice in amusement. They both turned to see an adolescent lion grinning at them. "I've been awake; I just pretended to be out cold to see what you would do to wake up Ahadi without me. And I must say, good show, good show."

"That's just plain cruel" Ahadi complained. He then patted the tuft of fur that would one day become his mane. "And you messed up my mane, Uru!"

"Like it matters" she laughed. "Hey Hondari, do you want to come with us?"

"Wouldn't that make me a babysitter? I don't want to be responsible for you guys if something bad happens" Hondari laughed. "Besides, I should really be making the medicine for that back pain Ahadi's grandfather needs."

"He says he can go on for another year if you're going to take so long flirting with the lionesses" Ahadi remarked. "He would be awfully grateful that you're going to be making that medicine for him if you do decide to go back to that tree and stick making it like you promised last month."

Hondari made a face. "Well if he feels that way then maybe I should stall just a bit longer. He can last for another year, right? Well, then, let's go hang out together."

Ahadi mentally slapped himself, his grandfather was always telling him to watch what he said but he is rather lively. One more day wouldn't kill the lion as long as he followed his daughter-in-law's instructions and stayed away from doing too much work.

"Awesome!" laughed Uru. "Since you're going to be with us, we can go even farther from Pride Rock than just 'in sight'."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea" Ahadi muttered but was drowned out by Hondari.

"Sure, I'll give you the grand tour on all things your parents are unaware of where the adolescents are" Hondari chuckled.

Thw two cousins ran out of the den and waited a bit impatiently for Ahadi to join them. As usual the young male was being his scared little self; he never seemed to like doing the same reckless things the princess did. Although in truth, he really did enjoy anything he did with her, she was way more fun than the other cubs that just make fun of him for being a 'wimp'.

But this time, when Ahadi stepped out of the den, he felt something wrong. The sky couldn't have been clearer, the sun couldn't have been brighter, and the grass of the Pride Lands couldn't have been greener. But he spotted something in the distance, it wasn't anything to be immensely worried about but he felt sure that it was a bad omen. The water hole appeared to be blood red because of the rising red sun. It scared him even though it wasn't the first time he saw this.

But unlike other members of their pride, he always kept track of the days the water hole reflected a crimson glow, and on each of those days, someone would come to their king with bad news. Sometimes it would just be something little like someone in the hunting party was injured, but other times it was something horrid like the day the major earthquake had hit them. One thing was for sure, nothing ever went wrong as long as they stayed close to Pride Rock; it felt like some sort of symbol of protection.

"I'm not sure if we should go out today" Ahadi shuddered. "I have a bad feeling…"

"What are you talking about, today's a great day" Hondari grinned. "Nothing could possibly go wrong, especially with me as your tour guide."

Uru cuffed her much larger cousin's arm before running up to Ahadi. "Oh come on, you can't really be chickening out now of all times. Don't be a Zaza, nobody likes a Zaza, Ahadi. It's like, the number one rule of being a cub in the Pride Lands!"

Hondari joined the heir to the throne. "Zaza may be annoying but remember that without her, your parents would have their paws full taking care of the kingdom. Remember that you guys are lucky to have her."

"Whatever" giggled Uru with another one of her famous eye rolls. She did that a lot, especially around her family members. "Anyway, you were so excited about going out yesterday, what happened? Did you have that nightmare about hyenas again?"

"I don't think so, he wasn't running in place or whimpering like a mewling last night" laughed Hondari.

Ahadi furrowed his brow angrily. "Hey! I don't do that!" he snapped indignantly.

"But you do have a record of being easily scared of things" Uru commented. "Come on, don't you want to venture out further and check out the places where Hondari goes but won't allow us in when his stupid adolescent friends are involved?"

"I'd argue with you but you're right, we adolescents are pretty stupid" Hondari chuckled.

"Glad to hear you admit it…Anyway, what's got your tail tied in a knot anyway?"

Ahadi didn't say anything but he did glance over at the water hole. The princess followed his gaze and was able to figure out rather easily what her best friend was thinking about. She rolled her eyes, again, at Ahadi's superstitious tendencies.

"What?" questioned Hondari when he saw his little cousin give Ahadi a look.

"Ahadi won't go out too far because the water hole is reflecting the color of the red rising sun. It's one of his weird superstitions about the Pride Lands ever since our parents told us that our home is a very special and 'magical' place" Uru explained. "He thinks that whenever the water hole is red, then something bad will happen."

Hondari snorted as he tried to avail to cover up his raucous laughter which caused Ahadi to glare at him angrily. "Seriously dude? I mean, that's just you being completely paranoid and it's just a stupid superstition. And that's coming from a shaman; I'm basically the embodiment of crazy and supernatural activity. Come on, you're going to miss out…"

Usually, Uru would take Ahadi's side and defend him but knew that she didn't want to miss this day either. "Yeah, come on Ahadi, today's going to be just fine. And if some bad thing is going to happen today then it probably won't even be towards us. It'll probably be against someone else!"

After what felt like hours of prodding, even though it was more like a few minutes, Ahadi finally relented reluctantly and joined them on their excursion. He could only hope that he was just being overly paranoid or that Uru was right and the bad thing won't happen to them.

-X-

Pumbaa found that it was kind of difficult to remember the entire story but he knew that the cubs were enthralled in it because they gave him their undivided attention. But they appeared to be getting sleep so he decided it was about time to wrap things up.

"Okay guys" he whispered. He looked behind him and swathe adults were beginning to return from the dinner. "It's time to go to sleep, the adults and adolescents are returning. We can continue the story some other time."

There was a unanimous and tired sounding 'okay' from the little ones. Pumbaa smiled to himself as he watched their little eyes flutter closed. Kioni was the only one who wasn't asleep yet and she nudged Pumbaa gently on his leg. He looked down at the princess to show that she had his attention.

"I'm sorry about Rafiki, Uncle Pumbaa, but you know how much we need you right?" she inquired sweetly.

"Of course I do…"

"It's like Zaza in the story…No matter what anyone says, you're an important part of our kingdom and pride…" she yawned. Her eyelids were getting heavier by the second but there was still one last thing she wanted to say to the new shaman. "…But most of all…You're important to our family…Don't…Don't ever forget that…"

Pumbaa was surprised that the young princess said this to him. He wanted to express his gratitude to her but she had already fallen asleep. He smiled as he petted her gently. "You're a very kind and gentle princess…You are your mother in every single way and more" he smiled softly. "I know that if your brother won't rule the Pride Lands, then you will make a great queen…" The warthog glanced over at Kianu and sighed. "And I hope that when the time comes…You will find a great king."

Pumbaa yawned to himself as he stepped out of the den and was welcomed to the cold night air. Being in the den so long made him feel tired himself but he preferred to sleep in the Tree of Life rather than a lion's den. He stretched his tired limbs and looked up just in time to see the royal family approaching him.

"Hey Pumbaa, we noticed that you didn't come out of the den for a while, we were worried that the cubs were giving you trouble" Kiara said to him softly.

Pumbaa waved it off with a smile of his own. "No worries, they were no trouble at all. They just had trouble sleeping so I told them a story to get them in a resting mood."

"Oh, I see."

Kopa became interested in this conversation when he heard mention of a story. "What story did you tell them? Because Neo hates hearing things he's already heard before…And I think Kito does to if I'm not mistaken."

"You're not" Kovu grinned.

"I was just telling them about Ahadi and Uru and the whole…Dilemma they had…" Pumbaa told them. "I only told them the beginning so don't spoil anything for them." Pumbaa appeared to be looking at Kopa when he had said it.

"What?"

"Nothing!"

"That reminds me, it's about time for us to tell them the truth" Nala whispered to Simba.

Simba released a heavy sigh as if he was hoping it would never come to this, whatever this was. The king then turned towards his children and their mates. "Can Nala and I talk to you guys over there? Sorry Pumbaa, this is just family matters, you understand. We thank you for watching the cubs and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Uh…Sure…" Pumbaa shrugged.

The six lions moved away from the main den and waited until Pumbaa was down the steps of Pride Rock and all the other lions were inside the den. Simba then looked at the four younger lions and prepared himself for what he was about to tell them.

"What's wrong dad? Is this some big family secret?" asked Kopa.

"First it's about having a brother and now it's about something else?" questioned Kiara.

"It's about your ancestry…Well…You're great grandmother, Queen Uru made this little promise to herself, it's not really a big deal seeing as how things have turned out and how all of that is long in the past but…She wanted everyone in her-our-family to know about this" Nala said to them. "That includes Kovu and Vitani."

"Okay, now I'm getting worried…" Vitani muttered.

"I'm not a descendant of King Mohatu" Simba admitted reluctantly.

The four younger lions were left speechless. It was strange to find this out now of all times but Nala was right, that was ancient history. But all of them felt curious as to why they never knew until now and why only the royal family knew.

"Wh…Why…I don't…understand…" Kiara sighed.

"Neither did I, until my mother explained it to me" Simba laughed humorlessly. "She explained it all a week after I overthrew Scar. Uru discovered that she was the daughter of the war criminal Rogue and not Mohatu. But she wasn't angry about it, she just didn't want to keep this a secret to her family."

"But the pride doesn't know about this…" Kovu concluded.

"Unfortunately" Nala huffed. "Uru figured that the pride might not feel right if the ones ascending to the throne were actually descendants of a huge war criminal. So she decided to keep it a secret from everyone else. But since it is ancient history…No one ever told the rest of the pride because it always seemed unimportant."

"…I see…We understand…" smiled Kopa.

"It's a hard truth to deal with but we can handle it, thanks for telling us" breathed Kovu.

"I'm just glad it wasn't something like, Kopa and Kiara weren't really your children" laughed Vitani.

"Too soon 'Tani" Kovu chuckled.

Simba and Nala watched as the younger lions stepped into the den after saying 'goodnight' to them. Nala smiled and let her head rest on her mate's shoulder. "The kingdom is most certainly in good paws."

The king smiled back. "It sure is…"

-X-

**Okay, that's pretty much it for this chapter. So, I'm dead tired and I can't even lift a finger anymore so don't even bother trying to contact me until morning. And has anyone heard of the band 'The Cab'? How come I'm always so late to here good music nowadays? Well, I'm going to sleep so goodnight everybody and don't forget to review! No questions tonight, too lazy to think of any.**


	8. Problems

**I'm here to show that my creativity shall not be silenced! We writers and artists have a right to express ourselves the way we want unless it is completely plagiarized. So what if we're using unoriginal characters? Every character is bound to have something in common with another or even one of the billions of people on Earth, fact is, every creative person in the world, original or otherwise, should be thrown into prison for copyright because there's always going to be someone who's already that character or have the same traits or some other reason! We shall not be silenced! **

**This message was inspired by a PM sent to me from TRON0602. I am Zero Unit RGB, and I approve this message.**

**Do not forget to review to this chapter.**

-X-

Kianu opened one eye and watched Pumbaa's mass disappear into the night. He then opened both eyes after he was gone and sighed quietly to himself. Hearing that story only reminded him of his situation. He looked at his fur and thought about how Uru and Ahadi were mistreated. Granted their situation was turned around but it had the same idea.

The golden cub tried getting into a comfortable position after some long thinking but he just couldn't get to sleep. It appeared that a bedtime story had the opposite effect on him as it did on the other cubs.

So after everyone else in the den had gone to sleep, Kianu got up from his spot. He scanned the room which was full of snoring adults and soft breathing cubs. Once he had confirmed that he was the only who was still awake, he made his way out of the den, carefully and expertly avoiding physical contact with all other bodies.

Kianu walked out of the damp cave and into the cold night. The moon was bright and the stars shoned brilliantly against the blanket of darkness. He shivered in the cold air so he stayed still and breathed deeply until he felt his body temperature adjust to the new atmosphere.

He looked back at the inside of the den before walking to the peak of Pride Rock. He stared at the empty and sleeping savannah; everything was quiet except for the sound of crickets chirping and the rustling of grass against the cool wind.

"…Why…Why did my life have to turn out this way?" Kianu whispered to the night. He was his breath in the dark and wondered if he would catch a cold if he stayed out there any longer. For some reason, this made the cub want to pour his heart out to the heavens. "My father and I had to be banished from our pride just because of my fur color. My very first memory was of being chased by starving wild dog! I never had a real mother and the one who gave birth to me probably doesn't even acknowledge my existence! I was always the target for scavengers and every pride I go to looks at my father with disdain because they think that he did some heinous crime! I like it here…But no one likes me…"

Kianu let the tears roll down his cheeks before his ear perked up to a sound from behind him. He turned and saw the two princes staring at him.

Kito chuckled a little nervously but that didn't stop him from replying unashamedly. "Whoa dude, we get that you had a rough life, but that doesn't mean you should tell everyone about it."

"Whatever…" Kianu grumbled irately as he rubbed the tears off of his face. "I have a right to say what I want to say. But you guys shouldn't be butting into others' privacy, I need my space. And it wasn't meant for anyone to here anyway…"

"Come on, chill out" Neo said.

"Oh don't worry" Kianu muttered as he shivered again. "I'll have no problem with that."

Kito glanced around before apparently noticing what he was searching for, inside the den. "Hey, Neo, isn't your dad supposed to be out here for another three more days? What's he doing inside the den?"

"Mom let him off the hook because of his constant begging and because of…You know…burial reasons…" Neo explained.

Kianu scoffed in an irked fashion before stamping down the steps of Pride Rock. "You two are pathetic…"

"Wait!" Kito called. The two princes were able to catch up to him before he even made it to the bottom of the steps. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Just for a walk, don't worry your majesties, I'll be back before the sun rises" Kianu grumbled in reply.

"Well then we're coming with you!" smiled Neo.

Kianu paused and sighed in irritation. "Why?"

"Because of what you said earlier, if you want more people to like you then you should hang out with us a little" Kito told him matter-of-factly. "Plus, you're pretty much wrong when you say no one likes you. I know my sister does, she says you're more interesting to hang out with than the rest of us."

Neo chuckled alongside his cousin. "And that's saying something."

Kianu rolled his eyes but he didn't dissuade them otherwise. The three of them began their walk through the seemingly empty Pride Lands. They made sure to stay near Pride Rock in case night predators or illegal poachers were running amok.

Kianu found their company to be rather entertaining. There was a lot of friendly arguing among them and trivial disagreements. Many times, Kianu found himself laughing to one of Neo's corny jokes. The three of them were climbing around a large tree near the water hole when they suddenly heard something.

Kianu shushed the other two and ushered them behind the tree. They peeked their heads out and saw a shadowy figure approaching the water hole. It appeared to be a lioness but it was unfamiliar to the cubs.

She had bright glowing green eyes and prowled as if she was hunting for something to eat. It was difficult to see her because her fur was practically pitch-black it hid her well in the cover of the night but not as well in the grass. But it wasn't nearly as dark as Tau's.

"She doesn't look very friendly…" Kito whispered. He was shaking in fear when he saw the lioness's sharp teeth glisten in the moonlight. Then again, it wasn't like his cousin wasn't afraid too.

Kianu showed no signs of fear; he was completely stiff as he watched this lioness lap at the water. Even though he wasn't frightened like his companions were, he was afraid. He had seen many predators in his short lifetime, but none looked as deadly as this black lioness.

"W-We…We need to stay quiet" Neo stuttered.

Kianu shushed them again before turning back to the lioness. She had just finished her drink as it would appear and then it looked as if she was about to leave. Btu before that, she froze and sniffed the air.

The cubs' postures stiffened as she turned to the true. She approached it slowly, they all knew that she had caught their scent; the air was pretty much blowing them in her direction. Neo's ears lowered and stuck to his head while he lowered his body and shuddered in fright. Kito silently prayed to the Great Kings of the Past. Kianu remained stock still, his eyes finally betraying his stoicism.

Just as the lioness had reached the tree, another dark lioness appeared. This one wasn't nearly as dark as the first; she had the same fur color as Kovu had if only a shade darker. "What are you doing? You're wasting time!" the second lioness snapped.

The first lioness turned her head to her companion and gave a grunt of irritation. She had a very annoyed expression on her face, not that the cubs could see it. "I thought I had caught the scent of cubs over here but apparently, it's just you."

"Ha ha ha. Very funny…I almost forgot to laugh. Anyway, it was probably the scent of some cubs from earlier today or something. I highly doubt that the adults here would allow their young to roam free in the dead of the night. Now come on!"

The first lioness groaned but didn't protest any further as she followed the other lioness away. All three of the cubs simultaneously released breaths they hadn't known they were holding after they had completely lost sight of the lionesses.

"She was way too close for comfort" Kito breathed.

"No kidding…What do we do? Report to grandpa in the morning?" inquired Neo.

"Maybe she was just a rogue who was really thirsty so they came here to get a drink" Kito suggested.

"I don't know…" Kianu muttered doubtfully. "She and that other lioness seemed awfully shady to me."

"They probably looked like that because they knew that trespassing was wrong. I know that I'd appear shady if I was somewhere I wasn't" Kito shrugged nonchalantly.

Kianu sighed but decided that Kito was probably right. The chances of a criminal lioness entering the Pride Lands to do something bad were highly unlikable. Not to mention the fact that the biggest crime they could've committed was poaching and as long as they hadn't harmed anyone else, things would be fine. And if they had poached, the victim's family or friends would report to the king anyway.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right…" Kianu sighed. "Although with the attitude you have towards all this really makes wonder if this kingdom is in safe paws when you take over."

"I wonder that all the time" Neo laughed.

Kito made a face before lightly cuffing his cousin on the arm. "Shut up!"

-X-

Ashanti yawned as she unwrapped herself from her mother's grasp. She shook herself until she found herself to be wide awake. The sun was just rising in the Southern Kingdom and she knew that her stepfather was already out patrolling.

Everyone in the pride told her that she was lucky to be the princess. That she was lucky that her mother became loving mates with Mheetu. But…She didn't feel lucky and she most certainly didn't feel happy. It's not that she didn't like Mheetu, honestly she liked him. But being the princess was what she didn't like.

Everyone was telling her she was lucky and so, they just stopped hanging out with her. The adults wanted so hard to please her and show that everything was going for her. The other cubs all felt that she was getting all the attention and she had completely changed her attitude from nice to snobbish so they've grown distant from her. And her own parents had become way too busy to hang out with her since gaining their royal duties.

"I wish everything returned to normal" she muttered. Ashanti walked her way over the other members of the pride before she got out of the den. She didn't get very far as she encountered Mheetu right outside the den, he had probably just come back from some meeting with Tojo.

"Hey Ashanti, what are you doing up so early?" Mheetu asked.

"Nothing much" she shrugged in response. "I only got up early because I went to bed early. There's not much for me to do anymore…"

Mheetu sighed as he knew of his stepdaughter's current situation. He wanted so badly to help her but the council of elders have him running ragged running the kingdom and keeping things in order. For the longest time they had taken care of everything and he only assisted, he never expected for his kindness to lead to an entire change in venue.

"I'm sorry you're mother and I have been so busy lately" Mheetu apologized. He stepped closer to her and nuzzled her affectionately.

"I know" Ashanti replied, her voice having a hint of depression in it. "I'm just a little lonely sometimes…But don't worry about me! I get that you and mom have to be busy. You've got an entire pride to take care of now, not just me."

"Why don't you tell me about it? It might make you feel better."

Ashanti smiled at the thought but then shook her head as she walked past him. "No, you're busy, you've got your morning patrol to do and you've also got to wake up the pride. I'd only distract you…Maybe we can talk later, like tonight when you put me to sleep…" She noticed her stepfather's uncomfortable shift in posture before silently groaning. "Or, you're busy tonight…I totally get it…"

"Actually" said Mheetu, stopping his stepdaughter from getting and farther. "I actually had a talk with Tojo about your little dilemma." As if on cue, Tojo appeared with a bluebird on each shoulder. He acknowledged the king and princess with a nod before heading towards the den.

"What's Tojo doing?" asked Ashanti curiously.

Mheetu chuckled as he led her away from the cave. "I talked to Tojo and he, being the understanding head elder that he is, allowed me a break. Family is important; he knows that, so he wants me to hang out with you today while he and the other elders take care of everything else."

Ashanti couldn't hold back the smile that was forming on her face as she leaped into Mheetu's arms. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, so much for this!" she cheered.

There was a reason why she liked her stepfather. He was the only father figure she really knew, her biological father was out there living by his own rules and not caring about the creatures he leave behind, while this one is here and making sure to love his daughter like one should.

They may not be connected and related by blood, but that doesn't change the memories they had of each other.

"Oh, and don't worry about being lonely so much" Mheetu told her as they began their father-daughter walk together.

"Why's that? Are you going to have more breaks so you can hang out with me? I don't want you to do that, that'll jeopardize your place on the throne" she said.

"No" he laughed. "Actually, I asked my sister to come visit sometime and she says she will make plans to come in a month. She's also going to be bringing her grand cubs who aren't far from your age. I know you'll hit it off with them."

"Why, are they outcasts too?"

"Now don't say that! But also don't mention this to anyone else in the pride" said Mheetu as his voice dropped to a whisper. "…Lions from the Pride Lands are much nicer than the ones here, cubs included…"

"Now you're just complementing yourself!"

"Maybe I am!"

The two of them ended up laughing and then Ashanti mentioned how she could beat Mheetu in wrestling. The king of course, doubted this claim and got into a crouched position. She did the same and leaped on him.

They rolled around for a while before Mheetu stopped on his back with his stepdaughter on top of his stomach. They were laughing the entire time until Ashanti stopped to rub her face against his warm chest.

"You know…Even though you're not my real dad, I'm glad you're my stepdad" she smiled. "…Because you're the best dad in the whole wide world."

Mheetu was taken aback by this but then smiled and pulled her into a closer embrace. He let the tip of his chin rub the top of her head lovingly. "And you are the best daughter any lion could ever ask for…I love you…"

"I love you…"

-X-

Kula glanced at the inside of the den and looked around for any sign of her friend. She was just about to give on the place when she heard her name being called.

"Kula?"

"Tama?" Kula asked aloud. She walked in deeper into the den until she saw the figure of her best friend approach her. "What in the world are you doing in here all alone? The rest of the pride is already awake and doing their morning activities."

"I just…I just don't want to…" Tama's words trailed off. She looked down at the ground before looking back up at her friend with a rather distressed expression. "I guess I just don't want to bump into Jelani…"

Kula furrowed her brow in a peculiar mixture of confusion and curiosity. "May I ask why?"

"I think…I don't know, I remind him and the rest of the pride a lot of a lioness named Tala who used to be Jelani's mate before she lost her mind and was exiled" Tama blurted out. "And I just don't want him falling for me because…"

"…Because you look like Tala?" Kula finished for her. "Hey, don't sweat it. Besides, I've seen how the prince looks at you, from what I see, he truly cares about you and worries about your well-being. I'm sure he only wants to get to know you better, not to get to know because you look like his lost love. Maybe you should stop running from him and actually let him talk to you."

"It's not just because of the fact that I look like Tala to him…" Tama sighed. "It's also because…"

Tama's words trailed off again but Kula was able to get the message easily. The rougher lioness instantly felt sympathetic towards her best friend and she approached her and laced a comforting arm around her.

Kula probably knew that asking this question was a sore spot for her friend but it's not like it was easy for her to approach the subject either. "Are you still in love with him?"

"Yes, and I can never stop thinking about him…" Tama admitted. "I see him every night in my dreams and every morning when I wake up. So if Jelani ends up falling for me because I remind him of Tala then I'll feel like I'm leading him on. I'll feel like I'm being used and also the one who's doing the using."

"Wow" Kula uttered. "I've never heard a more complicated sentence from you. But I get what you mean; I can't stop thinking about him either, but of course for different reasons than you…"

"…Kula…Did her ever…Did he ever say if he loved me…Or anyone for that matter? After all, you were closest to him…"

Kula frowned as she stepped away from her friend and began pacing around for a few moments, digging in her memories for any conversations about love with the lion in question. "…No…I'm afraid not…But think about it this way, Jua only allowed four people near him. Afua, Sierra, me, and you, that's got to mean something especially since didn't even like Sierra all that much."

"…True I suppose…But that doesn't change the fact that he's gone from our lives…I get that we need to stay positive and hope that he'll return one day but…Ugh, he keeps messing with my mind all the time and I just can't stop him…I need to know how he feels about me or I'll never get over him…"

Kula stared at Tama as she tried her hardest to think of a way to cheer her up. "I get that this is troubling you but that shouldn't stop you from getting to know others that could possibly be your one true love. Give Jelani a chance and if he tells you he loves while you're still sorting things out, just tell him to give you some time. If he truly loves you, then he'll give you all the time in the world. And one day, we'll see my brother again and that's when you can ask him."

Tama smiled. "Thank you Kula" she smiled as she nuzzled her friend. "But when did you become so filled with this kind of romantic stuff? I never would've pegged you for the insightful and romantic type of lioness."

"I guess I've changed since we ended up living here" Kula shrugged. "Or maybe…It was Chaka who changed my view on life, after all, he's the one who lit up the hope inside of me that there's a way to bring Jua home."

Tama laughed. "Then I guess I have to thank Chaka too!"

Kula laughed along with her before pulling Tama into her embrace. "Hey…You know that I'm your best friend and that I'll never ever leave your side right?"

"…Of course…"

"Good…" smiled Kula. "Now come on, everyone in the pride is waiting for us."

-X-

Kivuli watched as the different animals clashed with each other, with the master plan branching towards the final phase, everyone had to be in perfect condition. She watched as each animal was picking themselves up after falling over and then trying again.

Kivuli knew that starting a war for peace was a long shot from succeeding but watching as all these animals worked together for the same goal, it made her proud to be a part of it. But she also felt that there was a way for this plan to work, for it to actually achieve an era of peace. Not one that was perfect of course since perfection was impossible, but a place where no one would hate life and everyone would appreciate each other, appreciate life, and not see it as a way to be superior to another.

She chuckled to herself. "To think that striving to win a war that hasn't even started yet could bring together so many."

She got up from her vantage point and began walking along the border of their property. She frowned when she saw a nasty little group of various animals. These creatures claimed to be in their association for peace and equality but she could see right through them. They were only in this because they were mistreated and they wanted to prove that they were better than their oppressors.

The black leopardess scoffed in disgust, ashamed to think that there were those using their lord to achieve the exact same thing their clan leaders' had.

"It's not very nice to behave in such a way when you should be training everybody" a familiar voice chuckled.

Kivuli turned her head to see Thimba approach her. "What's up big cat?" Kivuli retorted smugly. "I see that daddy finally let you out of his sight."

"Get off that" Thimba shook his head. "He sees me as a brother to him not a father. That'd be really weird anyway since he'd probably just be about a month prior to adolescence when I was born. He's only old enough to be the father of a cub."

"Who says you're not a cub?"

"That's taking it too far!"

The two of them laughed for a bit before noticing Jet giving them a very suggestive glance. This caused raucous laughter and irritating cackling amongst his little group of misfits.

"He's being as mature as usual" Kivuli noted. She then sighed before turning around and stamping away.

Thimba was just about to follow when he noticed a rather small stone but still large enough to harm someone on the ground in front of him. He picked it up and threw it at the cackling cheetah. The lion smirked to himself when Jet dropped to the ground unconscious.

"That was satisfying…" he smiled to himself before catching up with the leopardess. "Hey! Kivuli, wait up! You've been a bit on edge lately, is everything all right?"

"Of course…No…" she admitted. "I'm just suffering from the same illness as everyone else here is, nervousness. By now that Black Pride should've completed their task and by next week or maybe even sooner, the members of the Pride Lands will move."

"I know what you mean" Thimba nodded. "But you should just try to calm down; everything will turn out just fine. Just remember that we're all in this together, we'll all be watching each others' backs, even Jet and his cronies. They want to live too."

"I know…"

Thimba looked back to all the clashing animals. "We've got quite a decent army here…There's absolutely nothing to worry about…"

Kivuli sighed but nodded nonetheless. After that, Thimba smiled towards her before running off since he was on hunting duty today.

"…Nothing to worry about…Except the result…"

-X-

**Well, here was the newest addition to the Book of Black Pride family. I honestly hope that all of you enjoyed this because I know that I enjoyed writing it. And so, Tama's love is revealed and we finally learn a little more about Ashanti. And here are some questions I must ask of you people but do not forget to review!**

**1) Do you think that the dark lioness was in the Pride Lands for no real reason or do you think she was something more?**

**2) What are your true thoughts on Kianu? I must know how much more likable I must make him.**


	9. Peace Is A Dream

**You know, every day I wonder if I'm doing a good job because the number of views, reviews, followers, and favorites seems to have gone down with each passing story while other series have a huge increase. I'm starting to lose motivation but I know I won't give up on this. But the updates are going to take longer, believe me on that. This is especially true since my focus has been diverted and school is back in session.**

**1) Do you really think that I would answer that?**

**2) Personally I think Kianu is a jerk but since I've thought about his past I feel more sympathetic and pity. But I also see who he is in the future and I think he turned out rather well but it's your opinion that matters. Well, for me, it's my opinion, but your opinions are important in deciding the fate of these stories and whether or not I'll continue writing for TLK after the series are done.**

-X-

Three days ago, Kito and Neo had shown signs of improvement in trying to pin down Kianu. But also, much to Kioni's like, they've also improved their relationship with the used-to-be rogue. This of course, made Amali feel left out and then she ended up becoming friends with the golden cub as well.

"Hey, I think I actually touched him this time!" Neo remarked in satisfaction as he lay on top of Kito. Kianu had just finished evading the royal cousins and got them in the same potion as they had been a week ago.

Kianu rolled his eyes but it didn't have the same bitter attitude as it did before. "Well, you two are as persistent and delusional as usual."

"Oh come on, they're improving on not landing on top of each other" Amali giggled.

"Oh yes, this time, a larger portion of Kito's body hasn't been crushed" Kioni snickered alongside her.

"Very funny" Kito scoffed.

After their daily wrestling matches, they decided to talk about Pumbaa's bedtime story and try to predict what will happen next. They all knew that something bad was supposed to happen but they all didn't know what. Kianu, as usual, thought of something that none of the others thought of or even wanted to hear from the actual story.

"Well, I've seen it happen so it's possible!" Kianu retorted rather defensively. "Admittedly it wasn't a pretty sight but I saw it happen!"

Kito liked arguments as much as the next cub but he knew that it was way too graphic to happen in a cub story even if it was from history. "Well yeah, I'm not saying it's impossible but Uru was alive to see adulthood so it obviously couldn't have been a rhino-!"

Kioni suddenly clamped her ears against her head and covered her eyes with her paws. "I don't even want to hear that again! Lalalalalalalalalala!" Amali followed suit not long after.

"Okay, but let's just say the rhino missed the vitals" Kianu tried.

Neo made a face that was mirrored by Kito. "Still super gross…"

"Fine, whatever…Wimps…"

They were about to continue their predictions with an age appropriate restriction when they heard the king shout suddenly. He wasn't in any danger but it attracted their attention nonetheless and they decided to investigate. The cubs snuck closer to King Simba who was conversing with a female zebra by the name of Mujiza although everyone called her Muji.

Simba paced around for a little bit before turning back to the hoofed creature. "And you are sure about this Muji?"

"I'm afraid so…" Muji whispered miserably. "Thankfully there aren't that many victims but there are those who still remain ill and they will die very soon if the cure is not found. My daughter has also confirmed that it in fact, a special poison mixed in the swamps to the south of here, after that, I had asked Pumbaa to check it out and he said the same thing she did. He's out trying to come up with an antidote right now."

"But do you have any idea of who was responsible for all this?" asked Kovu who stood by His Majesty along with his brother-in-law, Kopa.

Muji shook her head. "Unfortunately, we have no leads whatsoever. Mosi has dispatched a group of his best trackers in search of any clues. So far they've come up with nothing…"

"But it does explain why so many of our pride members have fallen ill after eating that water buffalo" Kopa sighed. "It must've been poisoned from the contaminated berries and we passed it off as an ordinary disease."

"Sire!" called a voice from above.

"Zazu?" all three of the royal males wondered aloud.

The majordomo circled above them in flight as he slowly lowered himself and gracefully landed on the king's shoulder. His appearance however was quite the opposite of graceful, he looked like a complete mess with his disheveled feathers and distressed expression. He looked worse than he had been working as Scar's slave during the tyrant's reign.

"Zazu, you look awful, the news you bring must be bad" Simba remarked.

Zazu quickly thanked the king for his concern before moving on to the much dire subject. "Zahina, she has been…has been…she's been poisoned your highness! I'm afraid that she's fallen victim to this very strange epidemic!"

"So she ate those weird purple berries too?" Kopa asked.

"No, we steered clear of them after we received the warning last night" Zazu replied in a rush. "No, I'm afraid it's much worse, as I was flying here, I stopped by many clans and herds to confirm my theory. And it appears that I was correct! The water hole's been contaminated!"

"What?!"

"But then, that would mean that all of us have been infected" Kopa exclaimed.

"And it must've been a weaker poison for the effects to only kick in today…Not to mention Vitani and I were unable to detect it…" Kovu muttered to himself.

"You are correct Kovu" Pumbaa sighed as he approached them. "I've already instructed everyone to avoid the water hole. I examined the contaminated water and it appears that it has gotten even weaker; I'd estimate that it was first contaminated at least three days ago. But clearly, whoever the culprit was that had poisoned the water made sure to put in as little as they could so that it wouldn't be detected but unfortunately for them, because of the minor amount of poison in it, it won't affect the larger animals unless they drank gallons of water in one swoop."

"But Zahina and the other smaller creatures will probably need to be looked at" Kovu concluded.

"I'm afraid so" Pumbaa nodded. "But there's more, it would appear that the grass has even been contaminated, small doses of poisonous water that was passed off as morning dew was on them. Every morning since three days ago, a new layer of the poison dew was added. Someone is behind all this and whoever it is wants to get rid of us."

Everyone was silent for a little while until Simba spoke up. "Nala said something about bad things coming to the Pride Lands. Granted this is only second paw information, both her and Kiara were told by this mysterious rogue…"

"It appears that whatever he spoke of has finally begun" Muji muttered.

Kopa shifted uncomfortably in the silence and as he did so, he noticed the cubs listening in on their conversation. He was just about to say something but then he came to a sudden and horrific realization. "Wait, the cubs! Pumbaa, you said that the poison from the water hole infected the smaller creatures, what about the cubs?"

"That's right, a few cubs have already come down with symptoms that resemble the illness only a little while ago" Kovu gasped. "Are Kito and Kioni going to be all right?"

Pumbaa stepped back as he thought about this. "I'll have to examine the cubs later, right now I should concentrate on making the antidote. After I complete it, I will test it on one of the older victims, if it works then I'll make more and the cubs and other young will take the medicine. Don't worry, I shall have it done as soon as possible."

"I want to help!"

"Hekima?" Amali wondered aloud from the cubs' hiding spot, unaware that Kopa had already discovered them.

Muji galloped her way towards a young zebra, probably not that much older than a newborn calf. The younger zebra was Muji's daughter, Hekima who was like a friend towards the royal cubs and their little circle of friends.

After some inaudible arguing from the mother-daughter duo, Hekima made her way towards the Shaman of Love with an expression of determination. "Let me help! I know I might get in the way, but I studied this poison! I think I can be of at least a little assistance."

Pumbaa was surprised to hear this from such a young zebra but his mind went to work automatically. "Hekima…Your name means 'wisdom', right?" After receiving a rather confused nod from her, he resumed with a smile. "Your parents named you well…All right then; come along now, if we don't hurry, who knows how many others will become infected."

Hekima smiled and was just about to follow with her mother on her tail when she stopped and looked towards the cubs' hiding spot. "You know! You guys should get a better place to eavesdrop on someone! I can see you pretty easily!" She then giggled to herself and continued to trail the warthog back to the Tree of Life.

"How did she know?" Neo whispered in disbelief.

"It was a little more than obvious" Kopa chuckled as he exposed their hiding spot.

Kovu then joined his brother-in-law with a less cheerful expression. "I could smell and recognize your scents anywhere in a five mile radius. On a much more serious note, you guys shouldn't eavesdrop on private conversations."

"If you wanted them to be private then don't converse in place where anybody could walk in on you at any random moment" Kianu scoffed.

"You're not wrong" Simba chuckled. "But at least we don't have to worry about telling you guys. But just remember, don't get so worked up or stressed out about this whole poison issue. It'll only make matters worse."

"But there are still other worries" Kovu reminded him sternly as if he was the older one. "The cubs could be in possible danger and for all we know, so are we. If the herds have been poisoned since two days ago, we've had at least two meals since then. Fact is, _all_ our lives are in danger."

"Kovu, chill out" Kopa mused. "Only certain areas of the Serengeti and a few berries are poisonous. There is no certainty that our lives are in any imminent. We just need to keep extra care to watch our backs and others."

"He's just telling it as it is" Kianu muttered. Kioni cuffed him lightly on the arm but it appeared that his comment was either unheard or ignored.

"And it's like I said, we have to keep calm or else the situation will only worsen" Simba reiterated.

Kovu sighed in defeat as well as some shame. "I know, I'm just stressing too much. It wouldn't be the first time my family's life is in danger and it just feels like my responsibility to make sure everyone is safe."

"Well it's not, don't forget it" Kopa grinned. "It's all of our responsibilities whether you like it or not."

Kovu sighed peacefully and smiled back at him. "I know…"

-X-

_Melele looked at the innocent and shaken up cub. She knew that he was no harm to her or her pride mates; it was then that she swore to protect him. She picked him up and he started struggling in protest at first, she understood his doubts toward her and couldn't even blame him in the least._

"_Don't worry, I won't hurt you" she hushed soothingly. The cub stopped struggling, he must've known that her words were honest but he still didn't even utter a sound. At first she had wondered if he was mute, but then realized that things he's seen must've been very traumatic, it was no wonder he wouldn't speak._

_Melele carried him towards her pride, the grass was tall and lush, everything here was just so full of life, unlike anywhere else in the world. She was proud of the land she lived on, but ashamed of those who abuse their power here. She hoped that she would be able to change that one day, it was a shared dream between her and her betrothed._

_The lioness stopped at a small den near the cliff side. The cliff side itself made a home to her pride, there were dozens of caves as well as elevated platforms that help the lions reach their designated living quarters. It was a rather charmed life for the lions with nothing but time on their paws._

"_Hey, Mel!" called another lioness. Melele stopped in her tracks but stayed with her back turned to the one who had called her. "What were you doing way over there? You know that it's dangerous at the Moon Pride."_

_The cub in her mouth growled quietly but didn't dare move another muscle. Melele put him down for a moment so that she could answer inconspicuously. "I just wanted to check on them, you know how I'm opposed to such violence…It was probably a bad idea on my part though."_

_The small cub glanced up at his savior when he noticed how that last part was said rather nervously and it was obvious to him that it was obviously untrue as well. He looked back down when she directed her gaze upon him though._

"_Whatever; just make sure that Kanu's dad doesn't find out that you snuck off" replied the other lioness indifferently._

_Melele nodded and picked the cub back in her mouth, not caring whether or not the other lioness had caught her gesture. Once Melele had entered the vacant den, she placed the cub down on the ground and he just laid there, his head in his paws, without saying a word._

_Melele sighed, not expecting him to speak but she wished to know his name at the very least. She carefully nudged him but he still didn't respond. "Hey…I know you've been through a lot recently because of my pride but I swear to you that I mean absolutely no harm whatsoever. It wasn't a bad decision to go there because…I got to rescue you…I was against the eradication but I was powerless to stop it, but I at least saved you…"_

_The cub jerked his head away from her and still didn't say anything although he wasn't angry or snapping at her like when they had first met. She was just about to go on when she heard his stomach growl loudly, the sound echoing off the walls._

_The cub blushed underneath his fur, embarrassed that his stomach decided to make that sound and now of all times. Melele giggled a little before turning away from him. "Don't go anywhere on your own. I'll be right back with some food, how does gazelle sound to you?"_

_She waited for him to nod a bit before running off. _

_It was a couple hours until she returned with the leg of a gazelle; she noticed that he had been patiently waiting for her. He was near the outside of the den but still keeping out of sight, he lit up when he saw that she had returned like she said._

_She dropped the piece of flesh in front of him and he cautiously approached it. He started off by prodding as if to make sure that it was really dead and it wouldn't suddenly wake up and hop away. After he had finished with his little inspection, he began gobbling down on it._

_She laid them and watched him eat with a smile. She always had a soft spot for cubs, this one especially, in her opinion, he was adorable and yet there was a ruggedness about him that portrayed his maturity. Maybe it was because she found him at death's door, or maybe it was what he had witnessed in his own home. Her smile faded away then. _

_Melele was so distracted that she hadn't noticed that he had already finished his food. "Thank you…" he muttered quietly._

_The adolescent's smile returned, she finally heard his voice. She decided that now was as good a time as any to strike up a conversation with him. "Um, can you tell me your name? I need something to refer to you as…"_

_The cub was silent at first and she was afraid he wasn't going to answer. "It's Hasani…"_

"_That's a nice name, it means' handsome' right?" she inquired. She received a nod from him and took it as her cue to continue on. "Well your parents named you perfectly." She quickly realized her mistake when she saw the pained expression on his face. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that!"_

"_Its fine…" he mumbled under his breath._

"…_Well…My name is Melele as you should've figured out by now but you can just call me Mel, all my friends do at least" she tried but got no response. "…But you can call me anything else if you'd like…You know…"_

"_Sister…" he whispered._

"_Huh?"_

"_I lost my sister back there…Her name was Zafina…"_

"…_I'm so sorry…"_

"_It's okay…"_

_Melele glanced down with uncertainty; she wasn't quite sure where to take the conversation. She was glad that he was talking at least but she also knew that he didn't want to talk much. But she knew for certain that he didn't give out his trust easily so she was determined to make him trust her. "If it's not too much for you…You can call me 'sister' if you'd like…"_

_Hasani glanced back at her before replying with the faintest of smiles. "Okay…Sister…" _

-X-

Melele cried her heart out that day she discovered her adopted brother had returned, only to leave as a traitor to their pride. Kanu knew that she loved the younger lion like family, but that didn't mean Hasani could be saved just because he was vouched for by one creature, even if it was the queen.

The king of the Northern Kingdom watched his pregnant mate stare at her reflection in the lake. He just didn't know what to do, he knew she'd be heartbroken but this state of devastation was worse than he had expected. It was like she had taken the place of Hasani when she had first met him, only speaking little to no words at a time.

Kanu remembered when he had first discovered Hasani's existence in the pride. He didn't like the fact that his lover was hiding something from him but he also understood why she did such a thing.

At first, he didn't really like the quiet cub and it appeared that his feelings were reciprocated. It always felt as if the two of them were competing for Melele's attention which was probably accurate since they always tried to get her to notice them. The prince had been so enveloped with his personal competition that he hadn't even realized how he formed a bond with Hasani. He always ended up watching over the cub when Melele was busy and personally, the prince, always enjoyed trying to converse with the cub.

Kanu finally saw that he actually liked Hasani when his father discovered their secret. The previous king had been furious and tried to kill Melele for treason and harboring a fugitive, even if the cub was obviously very young and cleared of any sort of disease. Kanu ended up protecting his beloved but he also found himself standing up for Hasani.

He at first thought that it was for Melele, but soon realized that he saw Hasani as his brother as well, no matter how annoying he was. After that day, Hasani finally opened up more towards him and they actually had a lot of fun conversations.

Hasani talked a lot more by the time he had reached adolescence and that was how the current king and queen got to learn the whole story behind his mysterious past. In return, Kanu and Melele told Hasani of their dream of creating a much more peaceful era than the one they were currently living in. They wanted this because they knew that Kanu's father was insufficient at running the kingdom, they needed change.

King Kanu approached his mate and nuzzled her affectionately. "I know it hurts but trust me, it will get better. I understand exactly how you feel…"

Kanu felt fresh tears rolled into his dark brown mane, Melele's tears flowed freely for the first time since she found out that Hasani was an official traitor. "How can he just leave us, Kanu? Doesn't he know how much he means to us?! How much he's hurting us right now?!"

"I know…" he hushed her. "I know that everything will be back to normal, he'll be back with us and it'll be as if nothing had happened. It will be like the world has fixed itself all on its own…So please don't cry, it makes me sad when you are…"

The royal couple knew that Kanu was only lying to himself as well as his mate; he was only saying what he and Melele wanted to hear. They both knew that it would never be that easy, Hasani's grown up and he didn't need caretakers but most of all, he wasn't going to return and it was because of them. They planted the idea of a utopia into his head and now he was going to try and achieve that dream. But that dream was only a fantasy, perfection is impossible unless everyone could truly work together.

"As if that's possible" Melele chuckled humorlessly.

"Do you think that now is the closest we'll ever get to that fantastical dream?" Kanu asked.

Melele buried herself deeper into her mate's soft mane. "I don't know…Maybe we'll even reach something closer but we're never going to reach true perfection…"

"…Do you think Hasani will actually achieve his dream?"

Melele jerked her head back in surprise and shock as soon as she let her mate's words process through her mind. "Kanu! Are you saying what I think you're saying?!"

"No" he chuckled before his expression became solemn once more. "It's just a feeling; I honestly don't think that his way of doing this will work at all but…My mother told me this tale, about a time when all animals truly lived together in peace. Even the hunted got a true taste of life before becoming food, only the ones who were going to die the next day were eaten and never at an excess amount. Hyenas and lions were friends, cheetahs could have friendly conversations with rhinos, the smallest birds got a chance to communicate with the largest elephants, and even meerkats go the chance to hang out with the hippos. No creature, big or small, prey or predator, was an enemy, they were all friends, and the world was eternally void of conflict."

"That's a world we can only dream of" Melele whispered.

"That's true…But it's a world that exists…"

-X-

**Okay, so I'm done here. I am really tired at the moment thanks to my sister but I'd just like to point out that it's my birthday, 9/14/13. Yay, happy sweet sixteen to me! I want to thank all of my supporters for keeping up with me so far and I'm just hoping you all keep supporting me all the way. Don't forget to review and answer these questions.**

**1) Do you think that's it's possible to reach utopia?**

**2) Just out of curiosity, what was your very first memory?**


	10. Driven Out

**1) A lot of you answered no which is totally reasonable and I agree with you. Utopia is impossible to reach because all of us are just so different, it's good that we're all unique in our own ways but it hurts us because our ideas just clash with each others. Utopia is only achievable if everyone was the same, and that's a world where nothing changes, everything would be boring, so even if utopia was achievable, I wouldn't want it. Perfection is boring; flaws are a part of you.**

**2) My very first memory is of my very first day of school, the same day I was going to go to pre-k. I threw this huge tantrum and my mom had to literally drag me out of the house, I cried the whole way there. When I got there, I met with my teacher and she made me feel a lot better. I didn't interact with any of the other kids that first day but I did get to learn from my teacher and watch the butterfly cage, they were only caterpillars at the time but it goes really well with my second memory, of when they became butterflies and we set them free.**

**I just wanted to get a move on. So, we've known each other for three stories, it's time for desperation…Please review! There, my dignity has been slowly deteriorating anyway, so here is the newest chapter and I hope you all enjoy. And don't forget to review!**

-X-

Pumbaa worked day and night and was soon able to find the antidote to the poison as well as create a vaccine so that anyone who hadn't been infected wouldn't in the future. He had to thank Hekima for helping him though.

Everyone in the Pride Lands was relieved to hear that either they or their loved ones had been cured of the formerly unknown poison. Although no creature could beat Zazu when Zahina had been cured, he had been on edge and panicking on whether or not his mate would die. He was so full of gratitude that he was praising Pumbaa and Hekima and practically kissing their hooves.

It's been a week since then, the panic, relief, and gratitude had all died down and everyone was now living as they always had. Granted quite a few of them were on edge and keeping an eye on every little thing that was happening in the Pride Lands.

Every creature of the Pride Lands was getting some shut-eye. Nothing seemed wrong right but everything did seem quiet. Some of the more nocturnal animals were roaming the lands in search of food, but what they found didn't even come close to their expectations.

"Sire! Sire!" cried out Zazu as he flew into the den at top speed.

"Fire! Fire!" cried out Zahina, coming in right behind her mate.

Most of the lions woke up groggily and irritated but hearing the second message woke them right up from their slumber. Simba and Nala quickly approached the entrance of the den where they got a quick but powerful whiff of smoke and flames.

"Simba, what are we going to do?" Nala asked her mate worriedly.

"What that mysterious messenger told us to do" Simba exhaled. "We're going to leave the Pride Lands, this fire has already spread too much, by the time it's put out, there isn't going to be anything in the Pride Lands."

This caused quite a commotion among the pride members who have known the Pride Lands as their only home. The cubs were especially were causing quite stir, they were so young and leaving the Pride Lands sounded like a faraway dream to them.

"But, father, where are we going to go?" asked Kiara. The princess was keeping one eye on her father and the other on the approaching flames.

"Mheetu will take us in" Nala suggested quickly. "The other kingdoms are too far and only his can accommodate so many creatures anyway. But we have to hurry, by morning; the flames would've engulfed Pride Rock."

Simba nodded and turned to address the pride. "Everyone! We are going to be heading southwest towards the Southern Kingdom. I know you all have conflicting emotions about leaving but we don't have a choice, we can't have a repeat of what happened during Scar's reign."

This convinced everyone to go, the parents swiftly gathered their cubs and they were out the cave entrance in a matter of seconds. The royal family was going to follow right behind and Tau and Kianu were going to stay with them.

"What about the other creatures?" Kovu inquired.

"Pumbaa is already evacuating them all" Zazu told the dark lion. "He…He's also got our eggs."

"Then we better follow behind" Simba nodded. "The herds have their own way of doing things; they'll probably roam out past the Outlands where the flames can't reach them. It's too dry there for fire to travel. If my hunch is correct, then a large majority of them are going to be travelling with us to Mheetu's kingdom."

"That's good, if they weren't then we'd end up overhunting at the Southern Kingdom" said Vitani.

"We better get a move on then" Kopa said as he picked up Neo in his mouth. Kiara lifted up Kioni and Kovu picked up Kito while Tau carried Kianu. Zazu and Zahina were resting their wings on Simba's back and they all took off.

Afue seemed to be waiting for them at the bottom of Pride Rock's steps, it was probably Amali's suggestion. Once they had joined together, they raced across the lands, making a beeline towards the Outlands, it didn't lead south but they knew that the flames wouldn't follow them there. They could see that many of the herds and other pride members ahead of them were going in the direction as well.

Simba planned on going to the oasis first, there, he could tell the meerkats where they are. They didn't intend on the pride or the herds going with them there though, that would be too much of a journey for them all.

Vitani made a quick stop when she saw Pumbaa holding onto a basket weaved of grass with two eggs inside it. "I'll take that off your hooves" the lioness offered. Pumbaa put it down in front of her and she lifted it up but then she detected the strong scent of blood. She looked up and her eyes widened when she saw the claw marks in the warthog's side. "Pumbaa…You're bleeding."

Pumbaa grimaced as he glanced down at his side, the rest of the royal family soon joined them and they all gasped at the sight of Pumbaa's bleeding side. There was no mistake; a lion had clearly done it. "A black lion charged in and attacked me. I would've fought back but I had to make sure the eggs were safe."

"Did you say black lion?" asked Tau.

Before Pumbaa could even nod, a black lioness flew right over the shaman's head and was aiming to kill Tau. Their eyes widened and it seemed as if everything was going in slow motion. But even in slow motion, the speeding cheetah was a flash as he pushed down the lion.

"Mosi?" Simba gasped out.

Mosi choked on the smoke he had inhaled while running. "Get out of here! I'll hold them off!"

"We're not going to leave you!" Nala cried out as the black lion pushed the smalled cat off of him. The queen jumped in and grappled with the darker lion until she had him pinned expertly.

Other black lions and lionesses were coming in from all directions and they had to drop their young. The cubs all cowered in the circle of older lions as they kept the eggs safe in between of them. Kianu on the other paw was keeping a close eye on his father. "Dad?"

"Tau?! You're alive?" snarled one of the black lions.

"We all thought you perished out there!" screeched another lioness.

"Well you thought wrong" Tau stated simply.

Each lions was staring at each other fiercely, waiting for one of them to make the first move, each one daring the other to attack. The cubs also watched intently, but their thoughts were just pleading to the kings that their parents would live.

The most compelling stare-off was between the darker lions, Vitani, Kovu and Tau were watching their opponent's every move. Kianu watched the lioness growling at Vitani. "The first to move will lose…" Kianu whispered.

The black lioness launched herself at Vitani at head-spinning speed but Vitani moved ever quicker. The blue eyed lioness ducked right beneath her attacker and pushed herself up as soon as the darker lioness was overhead. The black lioness fell right in front of Vitani giving the young princess to pounce and tear into her throat without a second to waste. As Kianu had predicted, since the black lioness made the first move, she was the one who drew her last breath.

All lions launched out in attack after that except Kiara who led the cubs away in the confusion of the fray. Zazu, Zahina, Pumbaa, and the injured cheetah leader followed right behind. If Kianu had been paying attention, he would've heard the king order his daughter to take them away as soon as the fighting started.

"Don't pay attention to anything else, just keep running and don't stop" Kiara ordered them. Her eyes darted left and right, unlike what she wanted for the cubs, she kept her attention on everything. She saw many other black lions ambushing her pride members and innocent herds. She hoped that they could all take care of themselves but she knew that it was naïve to believe that.

Kiara looked back once more to see Pride Rock getting smaller and smaller. Underneath her paws, she felt the grass thinning and getting drier with each step. Her ears perked up as soon as she picked up on her daughter's terrified scream.

"Kioni!" Kiara called.

A black lioness had leapt up and was about to come down on the princess. Kiara wouldn't have made in time, thankfully, Kianu pushed her out of the way. This gave Kiara a chance to leap on the black lioness before their attacker even realized.

"Come on cubs, we need to go" Mosi told them.

"But…Mom!" Kito called out.

"There's no time, Kiara can take care of herself, she may not look it but she's very skilled in combat" Pumbaa told them. "She's learned from the best." He turned his head for a moment and swung his stick out with his mouth and knocked out an approaching lion.

"I didn't even detect his presence" Mosi said, clearly impressed.

Pumbaa ignored the compliment and glanced overhead, he saw the two hornbills guiding them towards the rest of the pride members as well as the many herds and clans. "We've got to go. The king and the others know where to meet us."

The cubs reluctantly followed the shaman's order but they all looked back. "Please come back safe."

-X-

Imara glanced at the herds as their heavy hooves caused the ground beneath her paws to vibrate violently. She gasped in horror as she saw why they were running in such a panic, the raging fire in front of her was worst than anything she could've imagined. "We're too late…" she cried out in distress.

Shujaa bit his lower lip as he tried to think of something to console her but then saw black figures darting through the flames. "Maybe we were too late to warn them but we can at least save some of them. There are still creatures in this blaze, we need to do something or this whole journey would've been for nothing."

"But…" Imara started to protest. She took one look at the panicking escapees, wondering if Tau and that cub were in that mess. That cub would've been a lot older now, there was no way she could recognize him. Yet, watching a young golden cub racing out of the fleeing herds and towards the flames told her exactly how he looked.

"Mara?" Shujaa gasped as he watched the lioness shoot off towards the cub.

Kianu heard the quickly approaching footsteps and glanced back to see an almost black lioness chasing after him. He didn't recognize her from the pride and the fur pretty much gave him the wrong implication. "Stay away from me!"

"Wait!" she cried out, the tone of her voice made it sound as if she was desperately pleading. "Please! I need to know! Where is Tau?"

"Why would I tell you?"

"Because…I'm…his friend!"

Kianu halted, he remembered his father telling him about a lioness helping them escape the tyranny of the Black Pride. He also remembered the name of this lioness. He waited until she had caught up and took note of the dark lion that was right behind her. "What's your name?"

"I'm Imara" she told him. "Mara for short…"

"…My father…" Kianu breathed. "He's in there, he and a group of lions, the king and the rest of the royal family, are stuck in there, fighting off a bunch of black lions. I presume they're from the Black Pride and so are you two?"

"Smart cub" Shujaa remarked.

Now it was Kianu's turn to plead. "Please help them…They won't be able to win on their own."

Imara nodded. "We'll do everything we can but you should go back to whoever's watching you, they're going to get worried." Kianu ran off, back to where Kioni and the others were. Imara and Shujaa glanced at each other before streaking into the flames.

They passed by a very pretty golden lioness with a couple of injuries all over her. As they passed, both the lioness and Imara glanced at each other as if studying each other to see the other's worth. Imara was surprised when she saw the golden lioness smile sincerely and mouth 'Thank you.'

"She must know that we're on her side" Shujaa commented with a smile.

The two of them passed by the motionless body of one of their former pride members and as they got closer to the kopje, they began hearing loud battle cries. The flickering flames threw frightening shadows of combat between at least fifteen or sixteen lions.

Imara's eyes widened as soon as her eyes laid on Tau, she was able to recognize him instantly. The next thing she noticed was that her body moved on its own as she threw herself at the lion grappling with her friend. Shujaa jumped in right after, using his body weight to crush the lion that was trying to claw at another light colored lion.

"I don't know who you guys are but thanks for the help" said a large golden lion.

"Thank them later, Kopa" said a darker lion.

It didn't take long for the black lions to run off in the other direction in retreat. The lion who appeared to be the king, ordered them all to run off before they get trapped by the flames. Even while running, Imara's eyes were drawn to Tau, she searched him all over and sighed in relief to see that he was perfectly fine.

"Hey" Tau said as he looked back. "Mara…Thank you…"

"What are friends for?" she replied with a smile.

-X-

Hekima wrapped the makeshift bandages around Pumbaa's wound. "I'm not quite sure I did this right…" the little zebra sighed. "But I stopped the bleeding so that must be a good sign. That is a good sign right?"

"Yes it is" Pumbaa chuckled. "You did a fine job Hekima." His expression sobered up as he looked around, there had left the Pride Lands hours ago and the sun had arisen a while ago. They had all decided to move together, herds, lions, and clans of all kinds were moving towards the Southern Kingdom. But the king and his group were nowhere to be found. Kiara joined them very soon so the only thing he had to worry about was the others.

"I can't believe all of this really happened" Zahina muttered sadly. She and Zazu were on top of a lioness's back, they were holding each other with their eggs in between them.

"How could this have happened?" Mosi sighed as he did a head count on his cheetahs. He grimaced when he realized a good third were missing. "This large mixed herd of animals looks like it only contains about a fourth of the Pride Lands."

The young of all kinds were being carried by parents or other relatives, they've all seen things they weren't supposed to. The only little ones that were still awake were Kianu, Kito, and Hekima. It wasn't because they weren't tired, it was because every time they closed their eyes, they could see the flames and hear the screams.

"What are we going to do?" Kiara wondered aloud.

"Kiara…For now we can only do what it right for the members of the Pride Lands…Or at least what's left of us" Pumbaa replied. "You're going to have to lead everyone, it is only right since you are the daughter of the king."

Kiara wasn't sure about being the leader but figured she didn't have much of a choice. "Only if you stay by my side Pumbaa, I can't do it alone. And Kito, why don't you come with me? It may give you some pointers on how to rule a kingdom." In reality, she was just hoping to get his mind off of the fact that his father was nowhere to be found.

"Okay!" he grinned enthusiastically. Kianu and Pumbaa followed right behind them as they moved their way to the front of the crowd.

The shaman stopped when he saw that Hekima seemed left out. "You know, you can come too."

"Can I?"

"Of course, I'm sure your mother won't mind."

Muji heard this of course and turned her attention to the shaman and her daughter. When Hekima looked up at her mother with hopeful and pleading eyes, Muji nodded as a sign to give her daughter permission. "Thanks mom!"

The hoofed creatures walked side by side as they watched the princess lead the crowd towards the Southern Kingdom. Her entire shy and usually reserved disposition towards unfamiliar creatures altered into one that was much more confident and radiating leadership. Pumbaa knew that Simba was looking at her, he'd be so proud.

"Mr. Pumbaa, can I ask you a question?" inquired Hekima.

"You already have so go ahead" Pumbaa chuckled.

"Why have you been keeping such a close eye on me since that day I helped you make that medicine?" asked the zebra. "Do you think I have the potential to help you find cures to other unknown diseases or something?"

"Something to that extent" Pumbaa replied.

"What do you mean by that?"

Pumbaa glanced at the young zebra and decided there was no reason to keep his hunch away from her; besides, he was going to have to tell her sooner or later anyway. "Hekima, it is my belief that you may be the Shaman of Knowledge, the shaman who takes my place after I take my place in the Circle of Life."

"Wait…Me?! A-Are you sure about that?"

"Well, Rafiki told me before his death that one of my jobs was to look for the next shaman in the cycle. I knew that I would have to find him or her soon because my life as a shaman will not be long and I only have so much time to find and train a disciple" Pumbaa explained. "I don't think it is a coincidence that you're name means 'wisdom' which is close to knowledge. No…I am almost positive that becoming the Shaman of Knowledge is your destiny."

Hekima glanced from the queen, leading the large group before returning her unsteady and uncertain gaze on the warthog. "…I don't know if it is my destiny…But I do know that being a shaman would be interesting. But…I'm just afraid…What if you're wrong? What if I'm just an ordinary zebra?"

Pumbaa gave an amused chuckled. "Hekima…I am just an ordinary warthog, I was just given the title of shaman. Kiara is an ordinary lioness, but she was given the title of princess. We are no different from other creatures; we just have a larger duty than them."

"But…That doesn't answer my first question…"

"So curious…" Pumbaa sighed. "Rafiki gave me a brief description of the Shaman of Knowledge's traits. He told me that the next shaman after me will have a natural curiosity for the world; he or she will try to learn everything they can to survive. They take from the past and look on to the future. They desire a world of tradition, yet they are stick thinking about change. I do believe that this description fits you, does it not?"

It was true, Hekima always wondered about the world since she could speak. She always questioned about a million things at a time, like why were birds able to fly; why were lions the rulers and not cheetahs, why did her kind have black and white stripes, why not the colors of the rainbow?

She also feared predators so she was always trying to learn how to avoid them. She learned from the mistakes done in the past and make promises to herself for a better tomorrow. But most of all, she wanted things to change…She knew that once she grew up, she would everything she cherished right now, yet, she wanted to change. To get older and get a better understanding of the world they live in.

Hekima exhaled slowly. "I…I don't know if I'm supposed to be the Shaman of Knowledge but I'll try my hardest to fulfill your expectations."

"I don't have expectations for you Hekima" Pumbaa smiled. "The only thing I want from you is for you to be happy with whatever choice you make."

"Then…I choose to be your student, I want to learn everything I can about being a shaman…And…I want to be able to take care of my friends…Whether they be zebras or lions or even meerkats…I want to protect them all."

Pumbaa nodded. "I know exactly how you feel…"

The warthog looked ahead and noticed how Kito and Kianu were talking to each other animatedly. He already completed one part of his job as shaman, finding the next one. Now there was only one thing he really had to worry about.

"When I'm king, you won't be able to tease me ever again!" Kito decreed towards the golden cub.

Kianu rolled his eyes as he playfully cuffed the prince's foreleg. "Yeah, whatever but you aren't king yet so I get to tease you as much as I want right now!"

Kiara was looking back at her son for a moment and Pumbaa knew that the two of them had the same worrisome thought. _'Which one of them will be king?'_

-X-

**I'd like to apologize for the late update but I've been suffering much more frequent and severe cases of writer's block and of course, school has become really time-consuming as well. So this isn't much but I hope it makes up for the wait. Hopefully, the next chapter will be up sooner but I make no promises. No questions because it's late and I'm still in the midst of doing homework. Hope all of you are having a good month or so and I hope you're all still here. Please review and I'll see you next time!**


	11. Effects of Time (Pt 1)

**Again, I'd like to remind everyone that I do not have a lot free time though I do update more often than other writers. I thank all of you who've been staying with me since the beginning, I honestly wish I could thank you all individually but I can't. But I will send special shout outs to TRON0602 and BookwormGal. Thank the two of you for reviewing every chapter and sticking with me from the first story. I really thought that the popularity of the Tale of Two Kings would carry on throughout the stories but I'm not going to bore you with the complaints. Anyway, here is the newest chapter in this series and I hope you all enjoy. Please leave a review!**

-X-

Shujaa took his time as he examined and bandaged up the gash in Nala's foreleg. The group of nine lions were taking a pit stop near the borders of the Outlands. It appeared that Nala and Afua had sustained several injuries so Shujaa, the only one with real medical experience, had to take a look at them.

Imara was trying to catch up with Tau who was telling her all about his experiences in the Pride Lands as well as Kianu. Kopa was teasing Afua because his friend wasn't the best fighter while Nala scolded her son. Simba took notice of how Kovu was pacing back and forth, worrying about Kiara and his cubs no doubt, but he was also concerned about Vitani who just kept staring at the Outlands.

"I never thought I'd lose my home twice" Vitani sighed finally.

It seemed to have broken the peaceful atmosphere everyone was currently in.

"I know what you mean" nodded Kopa. "It feels like I just got back…And now I'm losing it again…It kind of sucks really."

The queen and king exchanged glances; the both knew that it must've been hard on them. Nala knew that something had to be done to lighten the heavy mood that had settled. "Look, we're all tired and exhausted, for now, we should all try to relax. And in an hour or two, we'll try to catch up with the rest of the pride."

"How can we relax at a time like this?" growled Kovu in frustration. "I apologize for sounding rude but Kiara's out there and so are our cubs. I'm so worried that they might've not got out of the fire in time or they got ambushed by more of those black lions."

"Kovu, calm down" Simba replied smoothly. "You of all lions should know that Kiara is a very capable lioness. She can take care of herself, and even more so, the ones she hold dear. Have faith in her because she would have faith in you."

Kovu sighed in defeat. "I know…But I'm just worried, you know?"

Shujaa stood up from his work to speak to the distraught prince. "So? Don't you think Tau or your sister is worried about their cubs? They trying their best to stay strong in this moment of distress, you should at least make an attempt to do the same."

"You really are a shaman" Kopa chuckled. "At least we know that the Black Pride has made some _good_ decisions."

Tau grunted. "I would be offended if it wasn't true."

Imara smothered a giggle underneath her paw; she was glad that her friend hadn't changed much since living in a new pride. But then her eyes glazed over as she stared at the Outlands. She placed a paw on the dry earth and felt it crumble underneath her. "Still…I never thought I'd end up back here again…"

"That's it!" Vitani gasped. She leapt towards Imara and took a long hard look at the other lioness.

Kopa raised a brow at the peculiar outburst made by his mate which was mirrored by her brother. "Um…'Tani..I think you're starting to creep her out."

"Wait, 'Tani?" Imara gasped. "Tani, is that really you?"

Vitani almost squealed for joy which would've been completely uncharacteristic of her as she hugged the other lioness. Imara embraced her back and they both couldn't have seemed happier. "It is you! Mara, I've missed you so much and I can't believe we'd meet again like this!"

"Um…Guessing by your behavior, I'm guessing the two of you know each other?" Kovu broached unsurely.

Shujaa's eyes widened as he came to his own conclusion. "Mara…Are you implying that the pride you're originally from is Simba's? You were once a part of one of the Great Kingdoms?"

Imara seemed like she was about to nod but something seemed to have stopped her. "Well…Yes and no…I was the daughter of one of Zira's followers so I was exiled when I was really young. My parents were against the assassination of Prince Kopa." She gave a nervous glance at the prince when she uttered those words. "I ended up living in the Outlands for a while where I became friends with Vitani and Nuka, but my mother and father couldn't live like that for very long so we migrated. We went wherever the wind took us and that's when we found the Black Pride."

Simba exhaled guiltily. "So I even banished other innocent cubs…I'm sorry for what I did to you Imara…"

"No, there's no need to be sorry King Simba…If I hadn't been banished, I might've never met Tau or Shujaa."

Nala searched her memories for any cubs by the name of Imara. "I think I remember you…I was a friend of your mother's. Before she was banished, she told me that she might be leaving Zira and the rest of her followers to live somewhere else. Where is she anyway?"

Imara looked away at the thought of her parents, she could feel the tears rising and trying to escape so Shujaa quickly stepped up. "I'm afraid that tyrannical king of the Black Pride killed her parents after she spoke out against the lion speaker that convinced our pride to invade yours."

"Oh…I'm so sorry Imara…"

"Wait" Kovu cut in. "Lion speaker? What do you mean by that?"

"Well…More of a scout, he was trying to rally our pride members together to invade the Eastern Kingdom as you just saw" Shujaa explained. "…Let's see…If I'm correct I believe his name was Thimba…"

"Thimba?" Kopa gasped.

"It must've been Jua" Vitani growled.

"I can't believe he would do this to us" Afua sighed.

"You know him?"

Simba nodded reluctantly. "You know of the criminal Hasani, right?"

Imara nodded. "You mean the one wanted in the Great Kingdoms?"

Simba nodded again and sighed in way that revealed his true age. "I am ashamed to say that 'Thimba' was a member of our pride who was corrupted by Hasani. Now the two of them are working together in order to try and achieve some bizarre dream. According to King Kanu of the Northern Kingdom, they're trying to create a Utopia, a world devoid of violence and sadness."

"That's insane!" Shujaa exclaimed. "Our world works because there are opposing forces at work. Where there is war, there is peace and where there is sadness, there is happiness. If you take away one of them, then you not only disrupt the order of the world but our way of life. I understand that life is always changing but…There are some things that cannot be allowed to be changed."

"I guess they just didn't get the memo" Vitani grumbled under her breath. "Let's get off this depressing topic…But Mara, there is something I want to know. You must've heard that the Outsiders and Pride Landers joined together, so why didn't you and your parents come back?"

"I wanted to, I really did…" Imara quickly replied. "But the Black Pride…They don't let anyone to leave the pride unless it's in exile and very rarely does that punishment ever get served out, it's always execution. The Black Pride likes to live in isolation, where no one knows of their location so if a lion leaves, they're afraid that that lion may return to wreck their way of life."

"But they have no problem with ruining ours apparently" Afua muttered.

"Although I am grateful that she didn't leave" Tau stepped in. "If it wasn't for her, Kianu and I might be as good as dead right now."

Imara smiled at him before walking towards Kovu. "You're Kovu right? Tani's sister? I think you were two or three months old when I left so of course you wouldn't remember me. But you've grown a lot since then…The effects of time are truly amazing…"

"Yeah…" Kovu nodded. "The effect of time…Can also destroy you too…Like what it did Jua…"

"Where is Nuka anyway?" Imara wondered aloud as she glanced around. "Did he go off with the rest of your pride? Geez, after all these years and he's as wimpy as ever huh?" she muttered. She froze and became numb when she saw how Kovu and Vitani's expressions darkened.

"Nuka…He died a long time ago" Kovu choked out.

Vitani shook her head to dispel the sad memories that were playing through her mind. "He died trying to please Zira one last time. He was blinded by his own pride, blinded to a point where he believed that his pride depended on his mother's approval. Thus…"

"Black pride" Shujaa sighed. "Why must so many lions die that way?"

Imara stared down at her paws. "…Time…destroys…huh?"

-X-

News spread quickly of the wildfire in the Pride Lands, each of the Great Kingdoms heard of this from various resources and they all became concerned with their own lands. Many were relieved to hear that the members of the Pride Lands came out safely and they were currently traveling towards the Southern Kingdom, also known as the 'Golden Empire'.

"I cannot believe this happened to our old home" Mheetu whispered.

"The fate of the Eastern Kingdom was inevitable unfortunately" Tojo replied. "We can do what we can by taking in the survivors but we must also make a plan of attack. We know the culprits behind the destruction of the Eastern Kingdom was Hasani and his group, we cannot allow them to go further with their reckless and ignorant plan!"

"I understand" Mheetu nodded. "But…Hasani, you need to be honest, none of us, none of us Great Kingdoms have any experience with war, we may have been on the battlefield, but we've never in a full scale war."

"This is not just war" approached an elderly female lioness. "This is the start of the Third Pride War. Only this time, it will be four kingdoms against one group. We cannot afford to fail!"

Tojo nodded in agreement. "The problem is, we don't know the first thing about war."

"I do believe that the first thing we must do is form an alliance with other powerful prides" another elder, this one male, brought up. "Without a doubt we shall be forming bonds with the Eastern Kingdom and I'm sure that the North and West will follow right behind. It'll be as if the First Pride War never happened."

"That's where you're wrong, it did happen" Mheetu retorted. "In the first war, there was only one kingdom, the Golden Empire. But bits of the empire broke off to form the Eastern and Northern Kingdom. The South was in distress as it tried to fight the rebels but it wasn't long until the king's own son left and created the Eastern Kingdom. When the fighting was over, they made peace treaties, but not until after thousands had died for the sake of a pointless war."

Tojo nodded as he began to recite what he knew about the next war. "In the Second Pride War, I was just born. I don't remember much but my father was a warrior fighting for the Eastern Kingdom. The North wanted more power being the strongest of the four kingdoms and they tried to overthrow the others. The prosperous East and violent South fought in this war against the North while the West tried to remain neutral. After the North was defeated however, the South turned on the East and eventually, they would've won if the West had not come in to save their brethren."

Mheetu looked up at the sky, thinking that Mufasa was looking down at them right now since this war occurred during Simba's father's time. "In the end, it was both the East and West that came out the victors. The South vowed to change their ways but the North became greedy and decided to start over by annihilating smaller prides in their vicinity."

The female elder sighed in the way old creatures do. "Why must our history be covered in the blood of our ancestors?"

"Because for the longest time, survival was the only thing we knew" Mheetu replied. "Unity was just a foreign term."

They turned their heads as they heard someone else enter the den, in the dimly lit cave; they recognized her to be Mheetu's mate, Hatia. "…That's what's…Hasani is trying to change, right? So in way, he's morally in the right place…"

"But his methods are barbarous" scoffed the other lioness.

The elder lion shook his head, he was probably thinking of how the younger generation has lost their minds. "King Mheetu, the history lesson was nothing none of have heard, so why? It serves no purpose to talk of bloodier times when we may be walking right into a repeat of them!"

"That is where you are wrong" Mheetu sighed. "Forgive me elders, Fang and Wish, if I am speaking out of line but there is meaning to these wars no matter how senseless people say they are. We can learn from these wars to prevent the stupid mistakes we've made. For the longest time, the prides fought against each other, trying to best the other, through battle and wounds. But this time around is different, it's time we work together, not apart. And when all this bloodshed is over…We cannot and will not send Hasani to execution."

"What?!" gasped both Fang and Wish.

"But…But my liege!" Fang started. "With all the damage he's already caused so much damage and who knows what he'll do in the future. He should repent for his sins through death or he may just return worse than ever."

Mheetu stayed silent for a long time with everyone's eyes on him, even his own best friend and mate seemed unsure with this decision. "I know…I know that he needs to repent for his sins but not through death. There is no doubt in my mind that there is a possibility of him returning yet I also know that if we kill him, we're only going to be spreading more hate. No…We'll only put more fuel into his resolve and the ones who believe him will only continue fighting until they achieve peace, but that peace has another name, emptiness."

Things were silent for the longest time until Wish sighed. "…You are right; it seems that we really have made the right choice in our king. It's funny, my all of us elders were given nicknames and we went by them for so long that it seems we have forgotten the reason why we chose them in the first place. I chose wish because…I wished for beautiful future and yet…All I can picture is death and war."

"Well it doesn't have to be that way" Mheetu smiled softly as his mate nuzzled him in a way to show that she was proud of him. "The world is so full of possibilities but if we keep looking at one of them, then that's what our future will become. But if we work through this together, there is no way we'll come into a stained future."

Tojo chuckled as he nodded in agreement. "Besides, I doubt King Kanu would be willing to kill his old friend and I also think King Simba would be against such punishment as well since it has long been established that exile is the worst punishment the Eastern Kingdom can dish out."

"And I think I heard King Malka mentioning something about the only way to repent for your sins is by living" Hatia giggled.

Fang looked from one face to the other before sighing in defeat. Admittedly, everything they had said was true; there was no way that the other kings would agree on execution as a punishment. "Alright then, now that that's settled, I believe it is time to call a meeting between all the kingdoms. We must plan on how we approach this situation and if we must do it together or else all hope is lost."

"Don't worry, even if things turn out badly, I'll make sure, with time, that everything will heal" Mheetu promised.

-X-

Night had fallen and still no sign of the king or the rest of his group, Kiara was starting to get seriously worried but she knew that she couldn't show it or it may cause panic among the Pride Landers. She noticed that the cubs were also worried, especially the ones who had no clue where their parents were. The princess was just glad that Pumbaa was there to calm them down; she walked over to Mosi so that they could converse about things such as their migration towards the Southern Kingdom.

"Pumbaa, we can't sleep" Kioni whined. "I really miss daddy, is he okay?"

Pumbaa looked away, he was hoping that Kovu would somehow appear magically but there was no way that was happening. He turned back to the cubs as he sighed in distress. "Honestly, I don't have a clue in what to say in this kind of situation but…I don't know if he will be okay. But I do know that he is a very capable lion and a mighty strong warrior, he is likely to come here soon along with Vitani and the others."

"You sure?" inquired Amali. "I never got to know mama, I don't want to lose daddy so soon."

"Don't worry about them…" Pumbaa said unsure of himself. "Just…Try getting your minds off of it."

"How about you continue that bedtime story you were telling us?" suggested Kito. "I'm sure that'll get our minds off of it."

Pumbaa glanced at the other cubs and noticed how hopeful they were. "I suppose…But…The next part isn't so pleasant, are you sure you guys can take it with everything's that's been happening? It's pretty bad…"

"I'm sure it'll be fine" Kianu replied, speaking for them. "We're not newborns, we can take it."

The shaman shrugged. "Alright then…Now, where was I?"

"_It looks like the wet season has come pretty early" Hondari commented as he noticed the storm clouds gathering above their heads. "Zulu river's going to become pretty crazy once the storm starts, maybe we should head back before it's too late."_

"_Seriously, why today?" groaned Uru. "Whatever…Come on, where's your sense of adventure? A little rain's never stopped us from having fun before. Don't tell me you're scared!"_

_Hondari scoffed. "What, you really think I'm scared? Who do you take me for? Ahadi?"_

"_Hey!"_

"_Anyway, I'm not scared, I'm just concerned for you little ones, you know the water can get really rough during a storm like this and if you dip a paw in it, you can easily get washed away. Don't underestimate the forces of nature."_

_The princess rolled her eyes. "Ooh, I'm so scared."_

"_I'm serious" her cousin retorted._

"_Uru, maybe we should listen to him and go back" Ahadi remarked as he climbed onto the same stone she was standing upon. "His tone implies that it can get really dangerous out here during times like these. We might get seriously injured or maybe something worse."_

"_The two of you sissies can go back if you want to but I'm staying right h-whoa!" she exclaimed as she faked slipping off the slippery rock._

"_Uru!" both males shouted._

_Uru began laughing as she readjusted her position to show that she was just faking it, causing the other two felines to glare back at her. "Oh come on, you guys don't have to act like mom and dad, have a little fun once in a while. Nothing bad is going to happen, not because of nature, and most certainly not because of some stupid superstition."_

_Hondari would've rolled his eyes as he listened to the princess speak if he his finely tuned ears hadn't picked a rustling sound coming from behind him. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a shadowy figure moving amongst the grass. It took about a second for him to realize that this sound was just a diversion. "Uru, duck!"_

_Uru flinched back at the same time a hyena leapt out from her right. She shrieked as Hondari pounced on the canine. The grappling predators rolled away from the cubs as Ahadi took notice of the other hyenas that began appearing from their hiding spots._

"_Hondari, help!" screamed Ahadi._

_Hondari, unfortunately, was busy fighting off the hyena. Thankfully, due to his larger build, he had a clear advantage over his opponent and it appeared as though this hyena had no such particular training. _

'Don't tell me!' _Hondari realized. _'This is another diversion…Uru!'

_The shaman quickly knocked out the hyena by slamming his head against a nearby rock. He then roared as loudly as he could, hoping that the sound would travel back towards Pride Rock as he quickly ran back to where the cubs were. "Uru, Ahadi, hang on! I'm coming!"_

_Hondari leapt into the scene just in time to see Ahadi get in the way of a hyena that was lunging towards Uru. "Ahadi!" Uru screamed in pure fright as the bleeding form of her best friend plummeted into Zulu River and was washed away._

_Hondari's eyes widened as Ahadi's form became smaller and smaller all too quickly. He growled and swore under his breath as he lunged at hyenas, giving Uru a chance to get away but instead of running towards Pride Rock, she was about to leap into the river._

"_Uru!" Jolina shouted as she quickly grabbed her daughter before she could finish her suicide attempt. "What are you doing?!" The rest of the pride had arrived and they swarmed from behind their queen, Ahadi's parents were scanning all over in search of their son while the other lions pushed the hyenas back._

"_Let me go!" Uru screeched as she squirmed in her mother's hold. "Ahadi, he was swept away by the river! I can still see his head, we can save him!"_

_Both Mohatu and Ahadi's father heard this and quickly chased the screaming cub head downstream. Every time the cub's head would plunge underwater, Mohatu would pray to the skies that Ahadi would resurface again._

"_HELP!" Ahadi screamed at one surfacing point. "DADDY!"_

"_AHADI!" his father roared back._

_Ahadi's father was just about to dive in when the king stopped him; right before them stood the edge of the Pride Lands, the Grand Waterfall. Mohatu shut his eyes but Ahadi's father only watched in horror as his son fell down the roaring falls, his bloodcurdling screams reverberating throughout the entire Pride Lands._

"_I'm sorry…" Mohatu shook._

_Ahadi's father staggered towards the very edge as the heavy rain pounded on him. He collapsed at the edge at the same time the rest of the pride approached, Uru was mortified but nothing could compare to how Ahadi's parents must've felt._

"_AHADIIIII!"_

-X-

**Okay, so the history lesson does not end here, it will continue on in the next chapter so it will not be italicized, that can get pretty confusing. Just keep that in mind when you read the next chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it, I know I did. Do not forget to review and here are some questions.**

**1) Do you think Imara should be with Tau or Shujaa? I am just wondering.**

**2) In your own terms, how would you describe cub Ahadi, my version or any you have in your head. Then, describe adult Ahadi, how you think my version will come out since obviously, he's alive. But how do **_**you**_** think he is?**


End file.
